Dreamer's Reality
by GlitteringAngel
Summary: For ten years, Sarah has dreamed of the Goblin King and his Labyrinth, but has convinced herself that it is just that; a dream. How much can she take from her jealous husband before she turns to her dreams to save her? Rated M for abuse & adult situations
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is my first Labyrinth fanfic and the first thing I've written for my own amusement for quite some time. It is also my first work on here. Please forgive me if my characterisation is a bit off or if you come across any errors (I have proof-read and re-drafted this several times, but I'm only human). Constructive criticism is always welcome, so feel free to give me a gentle poke if you feel the inclination to do so.

The first chapter of this could be a stand-alone, however I have written a whole story after this and I am already working on a sequel, so let me know if you want more. Otherwise I'll just keep them for my own amusement :P

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

**Dreamer's Reality**

Sarah was a dreamer. She had been ever since she was a little girl, when she would act out the scenes from her favourite fairytales; stories of kings and queens, princes and princesses, in lands where chivalry was commonplace and magic was abundant. When she grew older she would act out scenes from her favourite play, in her favourite park, dressed up in her favourite costumes. And every night she would dream. She would dream of those kings and queens, those princes and princesses. She would dream of a life she never thought she could have in her waking hours, a life that she loved and longed for. Yes, Sarah was a dreamer.

Jareth was a king. A king of goblins, but, more importantly, a king of dreams. He watched the girl, Sarah, he watched her as she spent her life dreaming and playing make-believe. He listened as she read from those books of fairytales and recited the lines of the plays that she adored so. He observed her as she took it upon herself to create her own personal escape from the reality that she had been dealt. She was such a fascinating creature. He was enchanted by her and he would grant her those dreams that she dreamed. Yes, Jareth was a king of dreams.

Sarah's first meeting with that king of dreams came when she was fifteen years old.

A selfish wish brought them together, a wish from a spoiled young girl who wished her brother away to the goblins. She pleaded with the Goblin King, as he stood tall and intimidating before her, and he took pity on her, allowing her to attempt to solve his Underground Labyrinth. During the course of her plight to save the youngster, the Goblin King did all he could think of to prevent the girl from succeeding in her quest and leaving his enchanted lands forever. In a charm-induced dream, they danced, waltzed around an elaborate crystal ballroom among the masqueraded gentry of the Underground. He held her in his arms and hoped never to have to let her go. But Sarah, his Sarah, fled from his arms and smashed the crystal dream into a million pieces.

Even with all of his trickery and cunning, the Goblin King found himself defeated at the hands of the girl, who denied his offer of everything she could ever want. She refused his offer of her dreams and returned home with her stepbrother, leaving him with his heart shattered like that crystal ballroom.

For ten years, Sarah dreamed of the Goblin King and his Underground kingdom. She dreamed of the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on, those platinum blond feathers of his hair, those stunning mismatched eyes that looked like fire and ice all at once and his perfectly formed body, his smooth chest revealed by the luxurious silk shirt he wore and his legs wrapped in sinfully tight breeches. In her dreams, they danced, danced to that haunting tune as he serenaded her. Their bodies moved as though they were one, as though they were made to dance together, as though they were never meant to be apart. And in her dreams, Sarah fell in love.

But as many dreamers find, the reality of life rarely lives up to the desires of the heart and their dreams. Sarah resigned herself to an existence that would never quite live up to her own high expectations. She never once dared to call upon that king of dreams, for fear he might refuse her, leaving her with the knowledge that there was nothing better waiting for her elsewhere.

"_What is it that you're looking for, Sarah?" the question was laced with venom. They had just got back from an evening arranged by her publisher and Bryan was pissed, in both senses of the word. He was looking for an argument and Sarah knew it. It wasn't worth the effort to try and avoid it._

"_I don't know what you're on about," she lied, kicking off the sandals that had been cutting into her feet all evening._

"_Oh, come on, Sarah. Every time we go to one of these ridiculous parties, you spend the whole night scanning the place, as though you're looking for someone," her husband accused._

"_The whole point of these 'ridiculous parties', as you call them, is to network, Bryan! There'd hardly be any point me bothering at all if the only person I spoke to all night was the person I live with," she replied, exasperated._

"_Don't give me that, 'it's only my job' spiel, your job is to write children's fiction, not to spend the evening flirting with the guys whose wallets you'd like to get your hands on! And while we're at it," he grabbed her wrist as she turned to make her way through to the kitchen, "what's going on with you and Mr. Flashy-car-and-Armani-suit?"_

"_What?" Sarah looked back at him, trying to work out which of the many guests her husband could be referring to._

"_You know the one I mean, that kid with the scruffy blond hair and the keys to his daddy's porsche."_

_Sarah had to laugh at that, Bryan was jealous._

"_Don't laugh at me, Sarah!"_

_His eyes were dangerously dark now and his grip on her wrist threatened to render it permanently useless if he didn't let go soon._

"_Bryan, let go," she finally said calmly, looking at his hand on her._

"_Not until you tell me what's going on," he growled._

"_There's nothing going on between he and I. For a start, he's married. And secondly, since you seem to have forgotten, so am I. Now, please let go. You're hurting me."_

"_That doesn't mean there isn't something going on between the two of you," he spat, practically throwing her hand back at her._

_He made his way to the cabinet where they kept a small collection of liquor bottles and appropriate glasses and Sarah watched as he poured himself a measure of whisky and downed it in one swift gulp. As he poured himself another, she turned and made her way upstairs, hoping for at least a little peace before he decided to join her. She didn't imagine he was going to let her sleep without first reminding her of just whom it was she was married to._

'_Like I need reminding,' she thought to herself as she ascended through the house._

That had been a week ago and she still had the marks that her recklessly jealous husband had left upon her as he took what he believed to be rightfully his. Now, Sarah sat in front of her vanity unit, gazing at the reflection before her, although only twenty-five years of age she appeared several years more. Those emerald green eyes that used to burn like fire were dulled, glistening only with the threat of tears. She would have thought that she was all out of tears to cry after all this time. Her focus shifted from those desperate eyes, to the angry red mark on her cheek, not the blush it once would have been, but a definite hand print. The handprint of her husband. The man who was supposed to love and cherish her. The man she feared more than any she had ever met.

Even more than Him.

He watched her, through his crystals. He watched as she suffered at the hand of someone who proclaimed to love her, but who never so much as held a door open for her. He could save her, if only she would call, but she never did.

Was it stubborn pride?

No.

Sarah, his Sarah, his precious Sarah, had stopped believing. She still dreamed, but those dreams were merely her escape from the brutality of her waking hours, she didn't believe they would ever come true. She had even convinced herself that her journey through his Labyrinth had been a dream and that the stories she wrote were based on the dream of a fifteen year old girl. And so, she never called.

Lightning flashed across the night sky, startling Sarah from her study of her own reflection, it was quickly followed by the low rumble of thunder. It was so close. Almost right on top of the house that she now resided in. Her eyes darted around the room, as though looking to see if there was anyone in the room with her. She was alone. Her husband had stormed out of the house following their latest row. He had, once again, accused her of being unfaithful, those dark eyes of his flashing with jealous rage. She had denied it, as she always did, it was after all the truth, but he would never believe her. He would never believe that she was telling the truth and would punish her for her 'lies'. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as it all replayed itself in her mind.

"_Don't lie to me Sarah!" Bryan spat at her, backing her towards the arm of the plush sofa as she trembled. He was a good head taller than her and when he was angry, and especially in the dim light that penetrated their living room from outside, he was positively terrifying._

"_I'm not," she whimpered. Her teenage self would have scorned her for allowing a man to have such a hold on her. "I swear to you, Bryan." Her voice was now pleading, pleading for him to believe her, pleading for him to stop. She felt none of the courage she had on previous occasions._

"_Liar!" He drew back his hand and brought it down upon her cheek, his handprint clear as crystal on her skin._

"_No," she shook her head, trying to fight back the tears in her eyes._

_He was so close to her now, she wasn't entirely sure of when he had come so near, but she could feel his breath on her cheek, she could smell the alcohol that lingered there from his stop at a bar on the way home from work. His hands were on her hips, holding her still as he made sure that she could feel what was coming. Sarah was sure that their arguments gave him some kind of thrill. It was probably the rush of power that he felt over her._

"_Please, Bryan. Please, don't do this."_

"_Oh, Sarah," he whispered, so softly. His tongue caressing her name, his breath tickling her cheek and down her neck. "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah."_

_She tried to keep breathing normally, as her head began to spin as though it were she who were drunk. He didn't notice though, as he began trailing kisses over her soft skin. Pulling aside the neck of the long-sleeved t-shirt that she wore. He placed feather-light kisses along her collarbone and then across her shoulder, moving back to nuzzle her neck for a moment before biting down hard. She cried out in pain, sure he was about to break the skin and draw blood. The tears she had been fighting back finally escaped her eyes and trickled down her cheeks._

_What followed next was a blur. Somehow, although she wasn't sure of the exact details, she ended up on her back, laid before him on the plush cushions of the sofa, her clothes strewn about on the floor. His weight descended on her, crushing her so forcefully that she could feel her ribs bruising. His lips, those lips she had once craved to feel against hers, moved down her body, now unwelcome. His hands joined them, strong, rough, careless hands that made her skin crawl beneath them. She trembled in anticipation, though not the same pleasurable anticipation she had felt what felt like a lifetime ago. She knew what was coming and she braced herself, biting down on her lower lip, closing her eyes tightly in an attempt to block it all out. She couldn't fight him anymore._

Sarah finally opened her eyes again, her cheeks stained with the pathways of her tears. Another flash of lightning lit up the sky, quickly followed by the inevitable growl of angry thunder. Without a second thought, she stood up and rushed down the stairs and out through the front door, into the unrelenting thunderstorm. She had to get out. She had to get away. Now, while he was out drinking to his conquest over her.

She had stepped out into the raging thunderstorm without a coat, but she didn't care. She had barely left the front porch and she was already soaked to the skin. It almost felt refreshing, as though it could wash away every trace of him from her. She sprinted in the direction of the local park, the only place she could think of that would allow her the peace that she so desperately longed for. Her legs protested as she refused to slow her pace, her lungs burned with every breath she took. Finally, as she crossed the bridge to her favourite spot, she allowed her body to win and came to a halt, the rain still pounding down around her. The jeans she wore were muddied from the grass she now collapsed onto and everything she wore clung to her curved form. She leaned over, bracing herself against the sodden ground as she gasped for breath and tried to fend off the feeling of nausea that had begun to wash over her.

"I wish someone would come and take me away from this awful place!" she screamed into the storm, her words almost an echo of those she had spoken the night the had wished her brother away to the Underground.

The only answer to her plea was another flash of lightning and a clap of thunder. Sitting back on her heels, her eyes darted around the surrounding area, almost hopefully, but that hope soon died as she realised she was still alone in the freezing downpour.

He saw the hope flash in her eyes and it tore him apart when it vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared. He continued to watch her as she sobbed openly, her tears mingling with the drops of rain that streamed down her face.

"Oh, Precious," he whispered softly, his heart breaking once more as he observed her in the crystal that balanced on his gloved fingers. She had finally made a wish, for the first time since she was fifteen years old, but he could not respond to those words. She had to say the right words before he could save her. "Say your right words, Sarah. Just say your right words and I'll come for you."

She had no idea how long she knelt in the muddy grass before she dragged herself to the bench that stood only a few feet away. She sat with her head back, aimed towards the stormy sky, her eyes closed against the raindrops that stung her frozen features.

'It's my own fault,' she thought. 'I should have taken my dreams when I had the chance.'

Tired, or rather exhausted, she lay down and closed her eyes, just for a moment. Somewhere, deep inside, she knew it was stupid, that she should get up and force herself home, but her body refused. She wouldn't return to him. Not this time.

She curled up on the bench, folding her arms and using them to cushion her head, her whole body now numb with cold. She could no longer feel, she could barely even breathe. Her teeth chattered slightly as she shivered uncontrollably.

The last words that left her lips, now blue with cold, were barely audible even to her own ears. The wind howled around her, like some pained beast. Her final plea, her last hope, was drowned by the cries of the elements, but still they were heard a world away,

"I w-wish the g-goblins would c-come and t-take m-me away...r-right now."

Sarah didn't notice the explosion of glitter a few feet from her, nor did she notice the strong arms that lifted her from her position on the park bench, holding her as though she might shatter into a million pieces at any moment. All manner of consciousness had departed her.

Sarah was lost to her dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:** Right, here is chapter 2. I would have put it up sooner had I not been working all week (I have had one day off since I posted the first part and I spent that one day recovering from going out the night before!). However, all of the lovely reviews that I received motivated me to get on with re-drafting and proof-reading this part. Thank you to all of you who took time to read and review. Reviews make me happy, especially when I'm having a mad day at work and they come through to my phone.

I'll do my best to post a new chapter every week, but I make no promises since work and life can be somewhat unpredictable (just take last week as an example). I'm also hoping to get a good start on the sequel to this and figure out where exactly I want to go with it so that when we get through this together, I can share something else.

Again, please forgive me if there are any errors lurking in here. I have read it over a few times, but there may still be the odd mistake.

I hope you enjoy this as much as you did the last.

GlitteringAngel x

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Labyrinth (except the DVD), I am simply playing with other people's toys for my own entertainment. Anything you recognise belongs to someone else.

_Running. She was running. Through familiar corridors, along familiar stone floors, towards a familiar and yet utterly disorientating room. The room was filled with stairways that reached in all directions; upwards and downwards, left and right, right-side up and upside down. She whipped her head around, her hair flying out behind her, looking for something, someone, but she couldn't remember whom. She tried to remember if she was running from or towards that mysterious someone. There was no baby to rescue this time, that much she knew._

_She turned and started up the closest set of stone steps, almost scrambling as she hurried, all the while trying to remember whom it was that she was looking for. And why. Corner after corner, stairway after stairway, she continued on her quest to find or escape whatever it was that she was missing. It was like having the crucial piece of a puzzle missing from the whole, nothing made sense._

_But, then again, little in this place ever did._

_This place._

_This castle._

_The Castle Beyond the Goblin City._

_She shuffled towards the edge of the platform on which she stood and looked over the edge. She was getting nowhere just running in this place, all that she was succeeding in doing was making herself dizzy._

_She wanted out._

_She wanted to wake up._

_It had to be a dream, just had to be. The last time she had been in this place she had jumped and the room had dissolved and...then she had confronted Him. He was the one she was looking for, surely. He was her way out._

_She looked over the edge again, trying to judge the void before her, when a familiar voice rang out behind her._

"_I wouldn't do that if I were you."_

_That wasn't the voice she had been expecting. That wasn't the voice of the Goblin King, though it sounded just like something he would say. That was the voice of...her husband. She gasped and spun around, taking care not to lose her footing and fall from the gravity defying platform she had been considering leaping from._

"_What are you doing here?" she asked._

"_What kind of a greeting is that?"_

"_You can't be here, this is all wrong!" she insisted. Something inside of her was frantic, her dreams were her escape and now her living nightmare was standing right before her._

"_Oh, Sarah. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…" her husband tutted at her, speaking as though he were addressing a child. He slowly stepped towards her, leaving her no escape but to take that leap of faith._

_She glanced at her husband and then to the emptiness behind her. Anything was better than staying here to see what he had planned for her and perhaps, when she jumped, she would wake up._

_After all, this had to be a dream._

"_You have no power over me, Bryan," she stated, more calmly than she in her dreams he intimidated her. She took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes tightly shut, and stepped off the edge of the stone platform into thin air._

"_No!"_

_She heard his cries as she fell, but, just as before, it felt more as if she were floating down to whatever awaited her, rather than speeding down to meet it._

_When she finally opened her eyes, instead of the crumbling pieces of the room she had just been in, Sarah found herself in a familiar crystal ballroom._

_This was the way the dream was supposed to be._

_She was no longer dressed in the clothes that she had scrambled around the Escher-esque room in, but instead the same satin and silk meringue she had worn as a fifteen year old after she had bitten into that tainted peach. However, unlike in the peach-induced dream of her teenage years, or those that followed in the years after her victory over the Labyrinth and its king, she found that she did not need to search out those stunning eyes, for they were right in front of her. She was already in those strong arms that held her so firmly and yet so lovingly. She was face to face with her King of Dreams._

_He wore the same deep blue dress suit that he had worn the first time that she had sought him out in the dream crystal. It reminded her of the night sky, sparkling as though the stars themselves were woven into the delicate material. She looked up into his face and those enchanting eyes. In his eyes she saw the stars, those stars he moved for no-one, trapped, in those beautiful, glittering orbs._

_He took one of her hands in his and she moved her other to his shoulder, her arm resting comfortably along his, their bodies fitting together perfectly as she moved closer into his embrace._

_He smiled down at her._

_She smiled up at him._

_And then they danced._

The first thing Sarah became aware of, as she awoke from a slumber that had lasted several days, was the soft silk that brushed against her skin as she stretched out her protesting limbs. It was nothing like the cotton sheets she was used to. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking furiously against the bright sunlight that streamed through the glassless windows. Shielding her eyes and looking around, she found herself somewhere unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time; the pale sandy grey colour of the stone walls, the cloudless, blue sky outside the window. And that smell.

Oh, that smell.

It was the sweetest of spices, mixed with the freshness of roses and cherry blossoms and there was something else, something she couldn't quite place, but it was pleasant and familiar. It made her feel safe. She closed her eyes once more as she tried to recall what it was, when she had last encountered that delicious smell, that smell of pure, untainted...magic.

She bolted upright, her eyes snapping back open and focussing properly on her surroundings. She had to be dreaming, though nothing like this had ever happened in any of her dreams before. There was no crystal ballroom, no masked onlookers, no hauntingly beautiful music. But it had to be a dream. It just had to.

She pinched herself.

'Ow!' she thought, rubbing her protesting skin. 'No, definitely not a dream. Dreams don't hurt. Not even nightmares.'

She rubbed her arm where she had pinched it, trying to alleviate the sting. She wasn't dreaming. It was all real. She was back in the Underground.

More specifically, she was in a castle.

His castle.

The Goblin King's castle.

She threw back the sheets and looked down at herself. She was dressed in a simple white nightgown, which reached down past her knees and stopped mid-calf. It was held up by spaghetti straps and was trimmed with delicate lace. Her mind raced, the last she remembered, or at least the last conscious thing she remembered, she had been dressed in her favourite comfy jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. So, who had changed her into this? Was it him? And how? Had he used magic or had he undressed her while she lay oblivious to his actions?

A gentle knock on the door brought Sarah back from her thoughts and she quickly pulled the bedsheets back up around her, her eyes darting over towards a heavy door in one of the room's corners.

"Come in," she spoke in barely more than a whisper, watching the door as it slowly opened to reveal a creature that her memory recognised as a goblin.

"Good afternoon, Lady Sarah," the goblin curtsied as gracefully as she could before approaching Sarah's bed. "I'm so glad to see you awake at last. His Majesty will be relieved to hear it also."

Sarah watched the goblin woman, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs tightly.

"Please, just call me Sarah. I'm not a lady," Sarah finally managed, her voice still quiet.

"Of course you are, m'lady. The king always refers to you as Lady Sarah," the goblin woman replied.

"He shouldn't," Sarah shook her head slightly, casting her gaze down upon the tops of her knees. "I'm nothing special."

"Come child, we'll be having none of that. You're thought of very highly in these lands. You are indeed someone very special. Not everyone has the determination and skill to defeat that Labyrinth out there, nor are they thought of so favourably by a king."

"I've done nothing to deserve his favour," she sighed, closing her eyes as she pressed them against her knees, wishing that she could go back to dreaming.

"Of course the Champion of the Labyrinth deserves the king's favour. Now, come on, let's get you cleaned up. The king's healer shall be along shortly to see to your injuries."

Sarah looked up again, turning back to the woman beside her bed,

"What in-" she trailed off as she remembered the bruises. "Oh."

The goblin woman smiled, in the same knowing manner as a mother smiles upon their child.

"Come, Lady Sarah, a warm bath shall make you feel better."

Sarah thought to argue, but she hadn't the energy. Instead, she slowly pulled back the sheets and turned to sit on the edge of the huge bed in which she had awoken.

"What is your name?" she enquired, realising that she had yet to ask, even though this woman obviously knew her.

"Gretel, m'lady. I have been appointed as your personal handmaid for the duration of your stay."

"Well, I'm glad to have met you Gretel, but I'm not sure I shall be in need of a handmaid," Sarah replied, carefully standing.

"But the king insisted," Gretel argued.

"I would much prefer it if you would just be my friend," Sarah continued. "From past experience, I've found that having friends is the best way to survive in this place."

"Whatever you wish, m'lady," Gretel curtsied again.

"Please, Gretel, that means no curtsying around me."

"But, Lady Sarah-"

"And stop calling me 'Lady'. Just plain old 'Sarah' will do. It is, after all, my name."

Gretel looked nervous.

"I won't tell if you don't," Sarah smiled slightly, trying to reassure her new found friend. Gretel finally nodded.

"Whatever you wish, Sarah."

"Thank you. Now, where is the bathroom?"

Gretel smiled and showed Sarah to a door in one of the walls and opened it up to reveal the largest bathroom that Sarah had ever seen. She gasped slightly as she stood in the doorway, taking everything in. In the centre of the room there was a huge tub set into the stone floor, with ornate gold taps at one end. A few feet away from her there was a marble wash basin, with fittings that matched those on the bathtub. Beside that, to Sarah's great relief, there was, what she recognised to be, a modern Aboveground toilet. Plush, fluffy towels hung around the room and Sarah could feel warmth flowing under the stone floor, she smiled slightly to herself, it was almost as if she were in a very expensive hotel room.

When the bathtub was filled with steaming water and scented bubbles Gretel left Sarah to bathe herself, closing the door gently behind her. Sarah slowly approached the bath and carefully removed the silk nightgown that she still wore. Sliding into the warm water, she could feel her muscles finally starting to relax and she submerged herself completely beneath the bubbles. She ran her fingers through her hair, finding it tangled and uncooperative. As she resurfaced, she wondered just how long she had been here in the castle. How long had she slept in that huge bed in the room just beyond the stone wall behind her? Sarah washed her hair and then her body, taking care of the angry bruises which still covered her frail form. For the first time she noticed just how thin she had become. She was so well-practiced at hiding her battered body from outside eyes, she had even managed to hide from her own, jeans and baggy hooded tops or blouses kept prying eyes and comments at bay.

Closing her eyes, she leant her head back against the side of the bath. She recalled fleeing the house and running through the thunderous downpour. How she had wished for someone to take her away from that awful place and finally lying down on the bench, the will to go on diminished to nothingness. She wasn't sure if she'd actually believed that her final wish would be answered, or whether it was just her addled mind recalling her teenage plea before she finally gave in to the seductive call of what could have been an eternal sleep.

Her wish had been answered though. The goblins had taken her from the park she had fled to and brought her here.

Here.

His castle.

Unease suddenly settled in her stomach. What did he think of all of this? Gretel said he thought favourably towards her, but did that stretch to her appearing in his kingdom without so much as a word in ten years?

No longer able to relax, Sarah stood up and stepped out of the bath, wrapping one of the huge fluffy towels around her body, towel-drying her long hair before leaving it to hang down her back. She made her way back through to the bedroom, which she found to be empty of anyone else. She decided that Gretel must have had things to do while she took time to bathe herself. She sighed slightly then made her way out onto a small balcony, which looked out across the Goblin City and the Labyrinth beyond. It was just as beautiful as in her dreams. The late afternoon sun warmed her skin pleasantly as she observed from a distance as goblins came and went about their daily activities. Her mind began to wander to their king and his whereabouts. She knew from her conversation with Gretel that he knew she was here, but was he yet aware that she had woken? And why would he be so relieved once he did? Was he desperate to be rid of her?

"Sarah, Precious, I would have thought that after almost freezing to death in a thunderstorm, you would have more sense than to stand out with your hair still wet from bathing," a smooth, familiar, voice drawled behind her, causing her to gasp and spin around in shock, her hand tightening its hold on the towel that covered her.

"I-"

Her voice caught in her throat, which suddenly felt as dry as a desert. Standing before her was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen in her life, or in her dreams. His wild, platinum blond, hair framed his perfectly formed face, a few wisps drawing her attention dangerously close to his stunning, mismatched eyes. He wore a simple poets shirt, left open low enough to reveal his unusual medallion, that she was almost certain he was never without, and his smooth chest. His lean legs were wrapped in his usual tight grey breeches and his calves were encased in the same black boots as he had worn the last time she was in his presence. She had to force herself not to just stand there staring, taking him all in. She had no idea when he came to be so close up to her; one hand gently taking her free one, the other moving to her shoulder, to guide her back inside her chambers.

"What are you doing here?" she finally managed, though her voice was slightly raspy. She was suddenly very aware of how underdressed she was.

"This is my castle Sarah, or hadn't you noticed?"

She shook her head.

"Of course I had. I meant, what are you doing _here_? With me."

"Gretel told me you had finally awoken. I wanted to see for myself."

"But you surely have better things to be doing than checking up on the girl who wished herself away to the goblins. You've got an entire kingdom to rule over," she gestured over towards the balcony and the wild Labyrinth beyond, holding onto her towel more tightly.

"I see no girl, dear Sarah," he did not miss the gentle blush that crept up to her cheeks as he almost purred the words. "And one of my duties as ruler of this kingdom is to look after those who have been wished away."

"I wished myself away, I'm not here because someone else wanted me gone."

"What difference should that make? You are still here under my care."

"I'm not a child, Jareth. I don't need you looking after me," she insisted, though her voice still lacked any true conviction.

"I know you are no longer a child Sarah, although you will insist on behaving as such at times," he replied smoothly, riling her slightly.

"What's that supposed to mean? And how would you know? We haven't seen each other or even spoken since I won Toby back!"

"And, pray tell me, just how many fully grown women do you know, who would wish themselves away to creatures and a land that most mortals do not believe actually exist?"

"I'm sure that more would if they believed," she replied sombrely.

"However, they do not."

"That's because most of them grow up."

"Oh, Sarah," he sighed and gently brushed a stray bit of her hair back behind her ear. Sarah turned her head, and stepped away from his touch, her hand clutching so tightly around her towel that her knuckles were turning white. She was now uncomfortably aware that the only thing between her body and him was the plush towel she had wrapped around herself and barely two feet of air. In her mind's eye, she could see Bryan doing exactly the same thing; caressing her cheek, murmuring her name softly and luring her into a false sense of security, before turning his anger on her.

"Don't," she shivered slightly. "Please."

Her voice was so small and suddenly filled with what he could only conclude was fear. He was confused, but only for a moment before he realised the reason for her sudden change of demeanour. That unworthy mortal had broken her. He had hurt her and abused her so badly that she now cowered away from the man who had saved her, afraid he would turn around and do the same.

"Sarah, I'm sorry," the words were soft and filled with genuine regret and yet there was something that seemed so unnatural about them to her ears. This gentle, caring Fae was not the same Goblin King she remembered from ten years ago, nor was he the powerful, unshakable creature from her dreams.

Sarah shook her head violently.

"No, don't," her eyes were fixed on the floor by her feet, glistening with unshed tears. "It's not you, I swear, but I - I just - I can't explain it. Not now. Please, I just want to be alone for a while. I need some time to myself."

He nodded.

"I'll have Gretel bring you something to eat and help you dress."

"Thank you, but I can dress myself," she replied, still refusing to look up at him, but there was the slightest hint of determination in her voice and he couldn't help the shadow of a smile that graced his features; there was the defiant Sarah he knew and loved so dearly.

"As you wish. Hopefully you will find something to your taste in the wardrobe behind you."

She nodded.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. If you should need anything, you need only ask. Sarah, you are my guest, not a prisoner."

It was almost too much for Sarah, it took every ounce of her self-control not to break down in fresh floods of tears, right there in front of him. He could feel the turmoil as it raged within her and decided it best to leave her to herself for a while. He didn't want to force his company upon her and so he slowly turned and made his way towards the door.

"Jareth?"

He paused and turned back, his hand already pulling on the door. Her eyes, those beautiful, sad, emerald eyes were finally back on him, tears glistening in the sunlight. How he could lose himself in those eyes. And her voice, even quiet and strained as it was, her voice caressed his name in a way no other ever had or ever would.

"Yes, Sarah?"

She looked into those mismatched eyes, so full of concern, not the slightest hint that he was at all angry about her presence. She took a deep breath, mustering all the courage she still held, then blurted out,

"Can I stay? I mean, I'm not talking about staying for good, I just - I need to get my head together and I know that I won't be able to do it if I go home. There'll be too many people. Too many questions and I don't want to go home just yet and I just - I need -"

"Time," he finished for her.

She nodded, her eyes silently pleading with him. If he was at all surprised by her request, he didn't show it, he simply nodded.

"Of course. As I said, you are my guest. You may stay here as long as you like."

"Thank you."

"Will there be anything else?"

Sarah shook her head,

"No."

He nodded.

"Then I shall leave you in peace."

With that, he left.

Alone once more, Sarah walked across to the wardrobe and opened the ornately decorated doors to look upon its contents. Hanging from a rail there were dresses of various designs, colours and materials. All she really craved were her favourite flannel pyjamas and her fluffy dressing gown, but she quickly realised that that would not be an option. She sighed slightly and began running her fingers through the dresses, finally selecting an almost floor-length mint green dress with long sleeves a high neckline. Luckily there were no complicated fastenings and she managed to dress quickly in her selected outfit before Gretel returned.

"M'lady," Gretel greeted as she entered the room. "I mean, Sarah," she corrected herself, although Sarah made no reaction to the formality. "I have brought you food and drink."

"Thank you Gretel. Where are they?" Sarah enquired, looking around for any sign of a tray or any kind of food.

"I have them in your sitting room."

"My what?"

"Your sitting room," she indicated the door through which she had just come.

Sarah crossed her bedroom and followed Gretel as she retreated through the doorway and entered another lavishly decorated room. There was a fire crackling gently in the fireplace, in front of it there were two chairs and a small table, on top of which Sarah's meal was laid out waiting for her. Sarah took a few moments take in her surroundings before moving towards the chairs and table and taking a seat.

"Any more rooms of mine I should know about?" Sarah asked partly joking, trying to relax a little more into her usual self.

"This is as far as your chambers come. However, His Majesty has said that you are welcome to explore the castle if you so wish. He said that you might enjoy the library. He said that you like to read," Gretel explained, smiling at Sarah as she lifted a silver dome from atop a steaming plate of what appeared to be chicken, in a creamy mushroom sauce, and a selection of vegetables. For the first time since waking, Sarah realised just how famished she was as her mouth began to water at the delicious sight and smell of her dinner, which in turn reminded her of the question she had meant to ask Gretel when she had finished her bath.

"Gretel, how long have I been here?"

Gretel looked up at Sarah from the goblet she had been filling with water.

"Almost three days, dear," Gretel replied, with the same sort of motherly concern she had shown earlier. "Tonight will be the fourth night you have been in the castle. You were very ill when His Majesty brought you -"

"Jareth brought me here?" Sarah interrupted, her fork halfway to her mouth with food.

"Why, of course. Who did you think?"

"I thought," Sarah put down her cutlery and looked down at the napkin in her lap, feeling somewhat foolish. "I thought that some of the other goblins might have. I mean, it was them I wished to take me away. I never asked for Jareth."

"But, my dear, he is the Goblin King and he holds you in such high regard. You are Champion of his Labyrinth. He would not leave your rescue to anyone else," Gretel rested a gentle hand on Sarah's and gave a slight squeeze of reassurance. "He was most distraught when he discovered just how close to death you came, Lady Sarah. He did not want to see you lost forever."

_But what no-one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl…_

Sarah looked up at her goblin maid.

"Should you be telling me such things Gretel?"

"Perhaps I should not have said anything, but perhaps you needed to know," the goblin woman replied gently, letting go of Sarah's hand and motioning for her to continue with her dinner. "Eat, Sarah. You need to keep up your strength. His Majesty would be most displeased if he thought I had let you starve any longer. You've been wasting away my dear child."

"I hadn't noticed," she lied, but continued to eat.

Although Sarah was unable to eat the entire meal, Gretel seemed satisfied that she had eaten enough to keep her strength up for the remainder of the evening, after all, she had no plans of exerting herself before returning to the plush bed in the room next door. As Gretel cleared away the tray and its contents, Sarah turned to look into the fire, her mind whirling with the events of the past few days and the emotional turmoil that came with it all.

Meanwhile, away from her chambers, Jareth sat in the window of the throne room, absent-mindedly playing with a crystal in his hands. His mind was on Sarah, as it so often was, and he was fighting the urge to conjure a crystal for the sole purpose of watching her. She was in the castle. He could go and see her, he could demand for her to let him speak with her. But he wouldn't, he knew better. Where his beautiful Sarah was concerned, he had to act carefully, demanding anything of her in the past would have earned him a lashing from her quick tongue, now however he wasn't sure she had it in her and he wasn't about to take advantage of her somewhat submissive nature. She would never forgive him once she was back to her normal, stubborn, self and neither would he forgive himself.

He had been so relieved when Gretel had delivered the news that Sarah had finally awoken from her illness-induced sleep. The healer had told him that her body had suffered terribly from the freezing rain during the storm and that it would need to be warmed through to continue to function, an ailment he believed that those Aboveground referred to as 'hypothermia'. He had also referred to numerous bruises and marks across her body, although he could not say for certain what had caused them, not that he didn't have his suspicions. Jareth knew only too well, but he would not admit that he had been watching the young woman as she suffered at the hand of her husband. The healer did what he could for her; gently treating the angry marks that stained her skin, and insisted that her room be kept warm to assist in raising her body temperature back to a safe level. All they could do then was wait. Wait for her body to fight back and wake of its own accord.

And so, he had waited.

Just as he had waited ten long years for her to call for him.

He could wait a while longer.

Sarah spent the evening in her sitting room, staring blankly into the fire that Gretel had built up and which now crackled and danced happily. It was late, she could tell that much, although she had no idea of exactly what time it was or how long she had been awake. The healer had visited her shortly after she had finished eating and had checked her over carefully, insisting that although he was pleased with her general condition she should refrain from over-exerting herself for the next few days as her strength returned fully.

Now, as she sat before the dancing fire, her mind was on Jareth. He had come to her. He had saved her. It hadn't been his goblins as she had thought. It had been Him. She couldn't help but think about how different he seemed from the last time they had met. There was nothing cruel in those eyes she had looked upon earlier, not the slightest hint of malice or malcontent, but instead something that could have been...concern? What was it that had Gretel said earlier?

"_He was most distraught...He did not want to see you lost forever."_

What had she done to deserve such concern from the great Goblin King? Had she not defeated his Labyrinth and refused his offer of her dreams when she had been a spoilt, stubborn teenager? Why should he care if she lived or died Aboveground?

She looked at her left hand, at the two white gold bands which encircled her ring finger. She began to turn them with the thumb of the same hand, watching as they caught the light and shimmered, glittered even.

Glittered.

His eyes glittered, at least they did in her dreams. Those enchanting mismatched eyes, that gazed so lovingly into her own as he held her close and they waltzed around the same ballroom she had fled when she was fifteen. His beautifully mesmerising eyes always glittered in her dreams.

But when she looked into those eyes only a few hours ago, they seemed to have lost that sparkle, they seemed pained, but why? She was alive. He had succeeded in saving her. Why did he still look so sad? Shouldn't he have been relieved? Then she remembered, how she had reacted to his touch, she had cowered away from him, asked him to stop, to leave her alone. She was in no doubt that that had been the last thing he had expected; he probably expected some witty remark and a demand for him to send her home, not the desperate plea for him to allow her to stay. She was sure he had not been expecting the terrified, cowering mess she had become. He had surprised her with his generosity, especially as he asked no questions, but simply acquiesced to her requests, telling her she could stay as long as she liked.

Suddenly she became suspicious. What did he expect from her in return? Surely he wasn't going to allow her to stay, uninvited, for an undetermined length of time for nothing. But then, hadn't he always been generous?

"_I have turned the world upside down and I have done it all for you! I am exhausted of living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"_

Yes, he had always been generous and she had denied him the only thing he ever asked of her.

"_Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave…"_

He had offered her everything she could ever wish for. He had offered her her dreams. But she had had to save her baby brother, whom she had wished away so selfishly and so carelessly. And so, she had returned home, finished school, gone to college and gotten married. She had grown up, but she had never stopped dreaming.

She never ever stopped dreaming.

Sarah hadn't noticed the tears that had escaped her eyes and fallen down her cheeks until she was brought back from her thoughts by the sound of a gentle voice by her side.

"Sarah."

Sarah quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, then turned to see Gretel standing beside her, her large eyes reflecting the flames in the fireplace.

"Sorry, Gretel, I was miles away," she explained, needlessly. "Was there something you wanted?"

"It's getting late, my dear. I think, perhaps it is time for you to retire for the evening. You still need to get plenty of rest."

Sarah nodded and moved to stand up,

"I think you might be right Gretel. What time is it?"

"Almost midnight," Gretel replied, making her way through to Sarah's bedroom and going to the wardrobe, from which she pulled out a clean nightgown, similar to the one Sarah had found herself in earlier in the day.

"Thank you, Gretel. I think I can manage from here and I'm sure you'd like to get to your own bed," Sarah smiled kindly.

"If you're sure," Gretel looked a little hesitant.

"I'm sure," Sarah nodded. "Goodnight Gretel."

"Goodnight Lady Sarah. I shall see you in the morning."

The goblin woman ignored the exasperated look that Sarah gave her and left her alone to get ready for bed while she made her way down to the servants' quarters beneath the castle.

Sarah undressed herself from the gown she had chosen earlier and laid it over the back of the chair at her vanity unit. She carefully examined the marks that still littered her skin, though they were a lot fainter than they had been. She wondered how much longer they would take to vanish completely, so that she did not have to be reminded of why she had wished herself away to the Goblin Kingdom. Sighing slightly, she pulled the clean nightgown over her head and then smoothed the material down before going to climb into the large bed, which suddenly looked extremely inviting.

She quickly settled herself in the centre of the huge bed, revelling in the feeling of the soft silk against her skin, and closed her eyes. She had barely breathed another breath before she was drifting off into peaceful dreams of magnificent balls and a certain Goblin King.

In his own chambers, Jareth had finally given in to temptation and observed Sarah through a crystal, watching her as she slept soundly, a slight smile gracing her lips. He wouldn't look in on her dreams, though it pleased him to find they were at least allowing her some peace and contentment.

"Sleep well, Precious," he murmured quietly into the darkness before settling himself to sleep. Tomorrow he would see her, hopefully for more than a few brief minutes.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's note: **Hey guys. Thank you to all of you who have read and reviewed (and to those of you who have only read, I hope that you still enjoy this). Because of the lovely positive feedback that I have been given (and the fact that I've had more than once day off this week) I am posting the next part of this now and I won't make you wait until the weekend._

_Again, I have done my best to proof-read while re-drafting and again afterwards and I ask forgiveness for anything that I may have overlooked._

_I hope you continue to enjoy because if not, I'm randomly writing the sequel for nothing other than my own amusement._

_GlitteringAngel x_

* * *

><p>Sarah woke the following morning with the sun streaming across her face through the large window to her side. She screwed up her eyes, raising a hand to shield them against the glare of the determined rays as she muttered something under her breath about curtains. Slowly, allowing her sight to adjust, she opened her eyes and glanced around her. She was unsure how she felt about waking in the Goblin City and it not being a dream. Yes, she was back in a land she had left long ago and had often dreamed of, but her return had been for reasons she'd rather not think about.<p>

She looked around as she heard a gentle knock at the door followed by the sound of it being pushed open.

"Good morning, my dear," Gretel smiled as she saw that Sarah was awake. "His Majesty has instructed that I extend his invitation for you to join him for breakfast this morning."

"Thank you Gretel," she looked thoughtful for a moment as she contemplated the offer, before giving her reply. "You may tell him that I accept."

"Very well," Gretel nodded. "You'll be wanting to get up then. Would you like me to run you a bath?"

"I can do that," Sarah smiled, as she sat up, stretching.

"It is no trouble," Gretel insisted before disappearing into the adjoining bathroom, not allowing Sarah time to argue.

"I'm never going to get used to this," Sarah muttered to herself, rolling her eyes.

'Who said you're going to be here long enough to have to?' a voice in her head asked.

She sighed and slowly got up from the bed before stepping out onto her balcony. The early morning sun was pleasant, though not yet hot, and a gentle breeze blew a few strands of her hair across her face. She automatically raised a hand to brush them back behind her ear, but as she did so the memory of Jareth doing something similar the previous day came to her mind, along with that look he had in his eyes. She closed her own, taking a deep breath. The prospect of breakfast with the king no longer seemed as pleasant as she had initially hoped, but she desperately needed to speak with him.

Opening her eyes again, she gazed out over the labyrinth. It looked so docile, nothing like the terrible creature she remembered from her last visit. It stretched out as far as she could see, how she could ever have thought that it didn't 'look that far' she would never know. It seemed to go on forever.

"Things aren't always what they seem in this place," she reminded herself. "Not even Him."

She remained out on the stone balcony for a few minutes longer then turned to make her way to the bathroom, where Gretel was just finishing off running her bath.

"Almost ready, my dear," Gretel smiled as she saw Sarah. "Would you like me to select something for you to wear today?"

"I don't mind Gretel, so long as you don't pick out anything too fancy. I'd much rather wear something simple," Sarah replied. She was still longing for her Aboveground wardrobe, mostly her favourite comfy jeans and her hooded top from college. She wasn't enjoying playing dress-up as much as she might, but she wasn't about to insult Jareth by refusing to wear the clothes he had obviously had brought in especially for her. She also knew that she would look very out of place wandering around the Underground in her other attire.

As soon as Gretel left her alone, Sarah undressed and allowed herself to sink beneath the mountain of bubbles that topped the steaming water filling the large tub. She closed her eyes for a moment before remembering her breakfast with Jareth and proceeded to wash herself from head to toe, thinking it unwise to keep him waiting for her after all he had done for her already.

After bathing and accepting Gretel's help in getting dressed and ready to join the king, Sarah walked out into the castle gardens, with Gretel a few steps ahead of her. She was wearing a lemon coloured dress with three-quarter length sleeves and a modest neckline, the skirt was almost floor length, though it did reveal matching ballet-style shoes made of the softest leather Sarah had ever felt in her life. Her hair was pulled back off her face, though it still hung around her shoulders, something Sarah had insisted upon. She was still conscious of the marks that Bryan had left upon her and, although they had faded somewhat since her arrival in the Underground, she didn't want Jareth asking questions. Not yet.

She had spent the entire time she was getting ready to attend breakfast with the Goblin King thinking about just what it was that she would say to him. The only thing she seemed to have figured out, however, was that she wanted to apologise to him for her behaviour the day before. He had been so generous and yet all she had done was ask him to allow her to stay and then to beg for him to leave her alone, as though she could no longer face the sight of him. Her thoughts had raced over everything that had happened after she had awoken in that unfamiliar bed, the things that Gretel had told her about Jareth and how he had seemed so concerned for her well-being. She was discovering a side of him that she was struggling to comprehend.

'Perhaps,' he thought to herself, 'he is no longer exhausting himself by trying to live up to my expectations of him.'

Maybe now she would see him for the person he truly was, not just a figment of her dreams and memories.

As they rounded another corner, Sarah couldn't help but smile at the sight of the Goblin King. He was standing, with his back towards her, at the edge of a stone fountain, his hands clasped together behind him. His posture was near perfect and the soft blond feathers of his hair glimmered almost ethereally in the bright morning sun. This was the fae she remembered, this was the king of her dreams. He held himself as regally as she had ever seen him and she wondered if he ever allowed himself to relax. Even from behind, Sarah got the feeling he was deep in thought and was almost reluctant to move closer and interrupt whatever it was that he was contemplating; unaware that it was she who filled his thoughts.

"Ahem," Gretel carefully cleared her throat to announce their arrival. "Your Majesty, I have brought the Lady Sarah."

She curtsied as Jareth turned to face them. Sarah wondered if she should do the same, but remained standing as she was beside Gretel.

"Thank you Gretel," Jareth acknowledged her graciously with a slight dip of his head. "You may leave us now."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Gretel curtsied again and left the two of them alone in the confines of the garden.

Jareth's eyes turned to Sarah's, which had never left him.

"I trust that you slept well, Sarah."

Sarah nodded.

"Very well, thank you."

"Good," he smiled, gently taking her hand and raising it to his lips, which he brushed against her knuckles in a tender kiss. "How are you finding your rooms? I would hate to find that your stay here was anything less than comfortable."

She bit her bottom lip slightly, unsure of why she suddenly felt the nervous flutter of butterflies in her stomach. A gentle blush was colouring her cheeks and she was tingling with his very presence and a pleasant sort of anticipation that she had not felt in years.

"There's no risk of that given the luxury of your castle and its furnishings," Sarah finally replied. "The rooms you have allowed me to stay in are more than I could ever have hoped for."

"Your chambers were intended to be fit for a queen," he explained. "Nothing less would have been acceptable."

"I would have been happy with a bed and use of a bathroom," she admitted, smiling slightly.

"No longer demanding I move the stars, Precious Thing?" he teased her.

She shook her head, looking at the ground between them. She felt ashamed of how demanding she had been as a girl and even the way she now asked him to let her stay without offering anything in return.

"Sarah," his voice was gentle, no longer teasing. "Sarah, look at me."

It was a request, not a demand, but she obediently raised her head and brought her eyes back up to his. He looked almost surprised that she had done as he requested without any further encouragement, but only for a moment. He looked into her eyes, as though searching for something lost in their depths. The intensity of his gaze made her feel uneasy and she fought not to look away again.

"So where's breakfast?" she asked by means of seeking an escape from his scrutiny. "I'm famished," she added, for good measure.

"Of course," he nodded, stepping back slightly, her hand still in his. "I apologise. Breakfast is just over here."

He led her to a wooden table that had been set up a short distance from the fountain and pulled out a chair for her to sit down. She carefully lowered herself to sit, straightening the skirt of her dress as she did so. She waited for him to take the seat opposite her before picking up her napkin and laying it in her lap.

As they ate, a pleasant breakfast of fruit, unusual pastries and sweet breads, they made polite conversation about this and that, mostly the weather and the mischief that the goblins had been causing recently. She was sure that Jareth had other things that he wished to speak about, but he refrained and she was grateful. She would rather not be the topic of conversation.

When their breakfast things had been cleared away, Sarah finally plucked up the courage to broach the subject of the night he had rescued her.

"Jareth, there's something I'd like to know," she forced herself to look at him, though her fidgeting hands betrayed her nervousness regarding what she was about to ask.

"And what might that be, my dear Sarah?" he enquired, noting her internal struggle.

"I - Why did you come when I wished for the goblins to take me away?"

She averted her gaze to her hands.

"I would have thought that was obvious. You wished it."

"No I didn't. I wished for the goblins-"

"And what am I, Sarah?"

She looked up at that. He apparently wasn't going to make this easy for her.

"You're the Goblin King, but-"

"And you think that I would think it below me to grant such a wish personally?"

"Well… Actually, yes," she blushed slightly. "I mean, when I wished Toby away, you only came to offer me my dreams and then, when I refused them, to set me on my way through the Labyrinth to save him. I didn't think that..."

"You didn't think that I would answer the wish of my Labyrinth's Champion?"

"I can't be the only person to have made it through," she replied quietly.

"Not that it would have made any difference either way, but you are the only person who has defeated this labyrinth during my time as king. And I have been king for a very long time, Sarah."

He looked at her across the table as she began to play with the rings on her left hand.

"You are no ordinary girl, Sarah Williams. You never have been."

Sarah laughed slightly at that, she couldn't help it, but she didn't smile,

"I'm nothing special."

"Sarah," there was something akin to warning in his voice now and he reached across the table to rest his hand on hers, stopping her nervous fidgeting. She looked up at him, straight into his eyes, which were determinedly fixed on hers, sincerity burning in them so brightly, Sarah almost thought she saw some of that familiar glitter she saw in her dreams. "Never let anyone tell you that you are nothing special. Anyone who does, doesn't know you and most definitely does not deserve you."

She didn't say anything, she just swallowed. Her pulse was racing beneath his touch and something inside her desperately wanted him to take her in his arms, as he had so often in her dreams, and tell her that everything was going to be all right.

But this wasn't a dream.

"I don't deserve your generosity," she finally said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"That never seemed to bother you before," he was teasing her again.

"I never really appreciated it before," she sighed. He gently lifted her chin so that she was looking at him.

"You were only a child when we last met, Sarah. I shouldn't have expected you to appreciate everything I did for you."

"Turning the world upside down can't have been easy. Even for the powerful Goblin King."

"I told you, it was exhausting."

'And yet you seemed to have so little trouble turning mine,' he thought to himself as he gently brushed his thumb across her cheek. She closed her eyes, enjoying his gentle caress, no trace of fear surfacing to force her to pull away.

"But, no matter," he continued out loud. "I'd do all that and more if you requested it."

"And yet, you move the stars for no-one," she opened her eyes again and he caught the first glimmer of her usual self that he had seen since she had arrived, it was almost as though she were challenging him.

He raised one of his perfectly formed eyebrows,

"I'd like to see you try that one, Precious."

"If the almighty Goblin King struggles, what chance does a lowly mortal such as myself stand?" she smiled, raising her hand to his and gently removing it from where it still held her chin. She linked her fingers with his, lowering their hands together to lay on the table between them.

They sat like that for a while, each wondering where to go next, but neither breathing a word. Once more, the feeling of safety that Sarah had felt when she had first awoken in the castle washed over her. The man before her was not going to hurt her, not like the man she once considered her loving husband. This beautiful fae had saved her from her living hell and brought her to a place where Bryan could not find her to hurt her again. It was just like a fairytale; she playing the role of the damsel in distress, he the brave knight in shining armour. The only thing missing in this tale was true love's kiss.

Someone cleared their throat a few feet away and both Jareth and Sarah turned to see who it was and discover the reason for their interruption.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty," a dwarf, only slightly taller than Sarah's friend Hoggle, bowed his respect to Jareth. "It is almost time for you to open court to the city's residents."

The dwarf's attire was more formal than anything Sarah had ever seen Hoggle wear and she assumed that he must be a creature of significance among the castle's inhabitants. He held himself upright, almost as though he were in the military and standing to attention.

"Of course," Jareth nodded. "I shall be there momentarily, Rawfoot. Please ensure that everything is ready for the morning's proceedings."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the dwarf bowed again and left the King and his Lady.

Jareth turned back to Sarah and squeezed her hand gently.

"I'm afraid I am going to have to leave you for a while. Things to be done, you know."

Sarah nodded.

"No need to explain. Ruling over an entire kingdom takes some doing, I imagine. I'm sure I can manage to amuse myself. I've still got your entire castle and its gardens to explore and enjoy."

"Indeed," Jareth smiled and stood up, gently helping Sarah to her feet. "I must ask one thing of you though, dear Sarah."

"And what might that be?" she enquired as she stood before him, looking up into his eyes.

"Do not stray into the Labyrinth alone," he looked serious. "I'm sure I do not need to remind you of the dangers that reside within its walls."

"No, you do not need to remind me and I'm sure that there is plenty around here to keep me occupied for at least one day without venturing as far as your fearsome Labyrinth."

Jareth smiled slightly and kissed the back of her hand as he had earlier.

"Good, now would you like me to call Gretel to join you?"

Sarah shook her head.

"No thank you. I'd quite like to explore on my own for a while. That is, as long as you think it is safe for me to do so."

"You should be quite safe, my dear Sarah. Now, if you will excuse me, my subjects require my attention for the next few hours."

"Of course. I'd hate to keep you from your duties as king."

"You are too generous, Lady Sarah," he teased, bowing to her.

"Indeed, Your Majesty," she almost giggled as she curtsied before him. "Now go, before your subjects demand I be removed for distracting their king."

"Are you giving orders to a king?" he drew himself up, his eyes narrowed mockingly.

"I'd never dream of it," she replied, still smiling.

"Oh, you would," he grinned and, before she could contemplate the implication of that statement, he disappeared in a cloud of glitter.

It was late afternoon when Sarah discovered the castle's extensive library. She gasped as she entered and had to remind herself to breathe as she walked around. The walls were lined in their entirety with bookshelves and high windows, apart from the far wall, in which a beautiful fireplace was set. Surrounding the fireplace there were a number of chairs and a chaise-longue. Attached to the tall bookcases there were railings, along which a ladder could be run, allowing access to the higher tomes. Sarah had never seen anything like it, except in the odd film, but even they didn't do justice to the splendour of this room. She began to inspect the titles of the books along some of the lower shelves, running a finer along the worn bindings. Some of them she could understand, others were in languages she had never seen before in her existence.

"You're in a strange magical kingdom, of course there'll be things you've never seen and don't understand, Sarah," she mused under her breath.

"Is conversation so scarce that you have resorted to talking to yourself, Precious?"

She turned so quickly that her hair whipped around and her footing faltered, but before she could fall she felt strong arms wrap themselves around her waist and hold her upright.

"Jareth," she gasped, gripping his arms reflexively.

"Last time I checked," he grinned. "Sarah, I had no idea I had such an effect on you."

Sarah blushed slightly as she straightened up in his grasp.

"You startled me, that's all," she insisted, though her entire body was tingling with their close proximity, more so than it had that morning. "It happens, when you sneak up on people like that."

"I do not sneak, my dear Sarah."

"No?"

"Absolutely not."

"Hmmm…" she looked up at him, unconvinced, and removed her hold on his arms. "I think I can manage to stand alone now, thank you."

"As you wish."

He carefully relinquished his hold on her, but did not back away, instead he used an arm to brace himself against the bookcase she was standing in front of.

"So, Sarah, how are you finding my castle?"

She couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips at the memory of her last visit, just before he had re-ordered the time she had left to save Toby and proceeded set the cleaners on her.

"It's...enchanting."

He raised an eyebrow,

"Really?"

"What were you expecting? 'A piece of cake'?" she grinned slightly, resting a hand against his chest, her fingers gently brushing his elegant pendant. "I'm not that little girl anymore Jareth and I hardly think that that particular phrase is a fitting description of your castle. After all, I'm not trying to solve it. I'm just exploring, nothing more."

Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she imitated his own words to him. She was playing with him, teasing him even.

"Ah, but these corridors can be tricky things to navigate," he made it sound like something of a challenge and suddenly she no longer wanted to play their game. "And who knows what sort of creatures you might encounter within its walls?"

"I managed," she replied, slightly quieter than before, starting to feel slightly claustrophobic as he continued to tower over her. She no longer felt the confidence of a moment ago, in fact she felt the familiar unease that she felt whenever Bryan turned on her, eve though she knew the feeling to be completely irrational. "And I'm sure that no creature that you actually allowed within these walls would have cause to do me any harm," she continued, trying to keep her voice calm.

He could sense the change in her as she spoke and straightened up again, noticing as she tried to back up slightly, only to find her back up against the sturdy bookcase.

"Sarah, is something wrong?"

She shook her head,

"No, nothing. I just - it's a bit stuffy in here. I need some air."

"How about we take a walk in the gardens, then? They are quite lovely in the early evening," he suggested.

"No," she shook her head again. "Thank you, but I think I'd rather retire to my room. I can feel a headache coming on."

The lie was feeble, even to her own ears, but she needed to straighten her thoughts and there was no chance of that with Jareth at her side.

"Sarah," he tried to take hold of her hand, but she pulled away from him. "Sarah, don't go." Just as that morning, it wasn't a demand, it was a request, but this time she ignored him.

Turning away from him, she hurried out of the library and made her way towards her chambers, hoping that he wasn't following her. She hurried through the castle, praying silently that she would not get lost as she tried to remember the path back to her chambers. She practically ran the final stretch as she saw the familiar door ahead and threw it open as quickly as she could, only stopping when she came to her balcony. She leaned back against the cold stone wall as she caught her breath, ignoring the tears that had already escaped her eyes. She slowly slid down to the floor, quietly sobbing into her arms, her knees drawn up to her chest.

"It's not fair!" she sobbed, a few minutes later, before fiercely wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

_But that's the way it is…_

She almost choked on another sob, as she recalled the realisation she'd finally come to as a teen. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against her knees, her body rocking slightly.

"You're a married woman, Sarah!" she scolded herself. "You're a married woman and you wished yourself away into the arms of another man!"

Well, she had wished herself away to the goblins, who just happened to be ruled over by the man who had haunted her dreams since she was fifteen years old. And it wasn't like her marriage was a happy one. But even when she and Bryan had been happy, it was the Goblin King who filled her sleeping hours. In her heart she knew that she had been waiting for him to come for her, even though she had tried for so long to convince herself that he was just a figment of her dreams. And now she was running from him.

Sarah wasn't sure when it was that Gretel arrived at her side, but as the kindly goblin woman rested her hand on her trembling shoulder, Sarah found herself turning into her warm embrace, sobbing once again, letting the pain of the last few years flood from her. She finally allowed herself to cry over everything that Bryan had ever put her through, every mark he had ever caused on her body or on her heart. She finally allowed herself to admit that she had fallen in love with the man of her dreams, who just happened to be the man of her reality once more, but she mourned the fact that she had allowed someone to break her so badly that she found herself hiding away from any kind of feelings that she might have for him. Because as soon as she allowed herself to feel, she would become vulnerable and she could be hurt. Again.

Gretel gently stroked her Lady's hair, singing softly in an attempt to soothe her. By all rights, Sarah may have been an adult, but at that moment, she felt like a young girl, sobbing in her mother's arms over the unfairness of life. Gretel waited as Sarah's sobs calmed to quiet sniffles and her breathing finally evened out once more. She continued to hold the girl close, stroking her hair and down her back as she spoke softly.

"Feel better, Lady Sarah?"

"Much," Sarah nodded, still holding Gretel close. "What what have I told you about the 'Lady'?"

"Forgive me," Gretel smiled slightly, relieved that the young woman still seemed as stubborn as ever despite her obvious emotional struggle. "Would you like to eat in here this evening? His Majesty was unsure if you would feel up to joining him to dine since you told him you were feeling unwell."

"I'm surprised he'd want to dine with me after the way I behaved earlier," she sighed sadly, holding onto Gretel a little tighter.

"It'll take more than you fleeing from the library for him to give up on you, my dear."

"You know, then," Sarah looked up at Gretel, who nodded.

"Yes, I know," she gently pushed Sarah's hair back behind her ear. "Now, where would you like to eat?"

"I'll eat in here, this evening. Thank you, Gretel."

Gretel nodded and Sarah slowly let go, allowing her to leave. Once alone again, Sarah got to her feet and made her way through to her bathroom. She approached the wash basin and took in her reflection in the mirror above, supporting herself against the cool marble with her hands. She sighed as she considered the woman before her; eyes red and puffy, cheeks pale and tear-stained, her hair no longer as tidy as it had been. Her appearance reflected her thoughts and emotions; a mess.

"Come on Sarah, you're stronger than this. He can't hurt you here," she told her reflection and let out a mirthless laugh. "Talking to myself again. Jareth'll start thinking I'm mad."

She ran cool water into the marble basin and splashed her face with the refreshing liquid, allowing it to soothe her swollen eyes and wash away the evidence of her tears. She gently patted her face dry with one of the luxurious towels and then made her way back to her bedroom, where she sat at her vanity to tame her hair back into a simple braid down her back. Feeling slightly more human, she moved through to her sitting room and took the seat closest to the fire as she waited for Gretel to return.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Thank you again to everyone who has read and reviewed the story so far. Reviews and constructive criticism make me happy :)

Usual apologise for mistakes and standard disclaimers apply. I own nothing that you recognise and I make no money from it whatsoever. It's all just for fun.

* * *

><p>Jareth sat in his study, his legs draped languidly over the arm of his elegant chair and his eyes fixed on a crystal in his hands. The image inside the magical sphere was not that of his beloved Sarah, however, it was that of her husband. Ever since Sarah had arrived, he had looked in on the mortal, curious as to how he was taking the sudden disappearance of his wife. To his great surprise, he seemed unaffected, and went about his daily routine without an ounce of concern for the beautiful brunette whom had taken up residence in the Queen's chambers of the Goblin Castle. In fact, he had, on more than one occasion, returned home with another woman and proceeded to spend the night with her in the bed he had shared with Sarah. Anger burned within the Goblin King and he contemplated paying the vile mortal a visit, but he was sure that his Sarah would disapprove of him taking drastic action against her husband without her prior knowledge and so he restrained himself and remained in the Underground.<p>

Bored of watching the unfaithful human, he began to move the sphere from hand to hand in a manner that appeared entirely effortless. To him, it was. It was a skill he had mastered as a young boy, when he would perform in front of his parents' High Court, and now it was a force of habit as he lost himself in thought. He began to wonder how long Sarah intended to stay in the Underground and if he would be able to convince her to make it a permanent arrangement. He still hoped to make her his wife and queen. However, judging from the day's events, that might be harder than he had initially hoped; as soon as it seemed that they were getting closer to one another, she would run. He had thoroughly enjoyed their exchanges over breakfast, but the events that had unfolded in the library were disconcerting. He wondered how long it would be before her chambers were no longer sanctuary enough for her and she would ask him to return her Aboveground.

Standing from his position behind his desk, Jareth vanished the crystal from existence and stepped over to the large window, which looked out over one of the numerous castle gardens and his labyrinth beyond. The sky was dark and littered with glistening stars, the air was crisp and fresh and the heat of the day no more than a memory. He stepped up onto the stone ledge and in the blink of an eye changed into his owl form, taking flight from the room and out towards the outer walls of the wild maze.

Sarah watched him from her balcony. She watched as he dipped and dived, soaring over his kingdom as though he hadn't a care in the world. She longed to be as carefree as he appeared from her vantage point. She wondered how it would feel to take flight as he did, to experience such freedom that gravity denied her in her human form. She sighed to herself and leaned back against the castle exterior, her legs stretched out in front of her along the low wall that edged the balcony. She was sure that if Gretel were still around, she would tell her to get down, but Sarah was beyond caring about such matters. Her thoughts returned home as she began to play with the end of her braid, which she had pulled over her shoulder.

Were her family worried about her? Was there a police investigation being carried out as she lived out her days in another world? Was time even the same here as it was there?

She knew Jareth had the power to re-order time and that the hours she had spent here last time had hardly mattered back at home, but she was unsure if that was just a trick for people who ran the Labyrinth. She suddenly felt a strong tug of guilt. What sort of worry had she caused by wishing herself away? She needed to know.

"What have I done?" she asked aloud, as though enquiring of the stars that twinkled peacefully in the night sky, but no reply came from them.

A flutter of wings caused her to turn her head and she watched as the familiar barn owl she had observed from afar perched along the wall from where she sat. It cocked its head slightly, as though studying her.

"I know it's you, Jareth," Sarah told the owl, waiting for him to change back into his usual form. The owl, however, stayed as it was. Sarah sighed again. "Did you enjoy your flight?"

The bird hooted softly.

"Should I take that as a 'yes'?"

All she got was another hoot in reply and she rolled her eyes slightly, going back to her thoughts. The bird continued to study her, his beautiful eyes as mismatched as when he was in his fae form.

"When did my life become so complicated?" she mused aloud, though more to herself than her companion.

The owl hooted again. Sarah looked back at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Y'know, conversation usually works better when both parties are speaking in the same language, Fluffball."

"Excuse me? What did you just call me, Precious?"

Sarah didn't even flinch as the Goblin King resumed his fae appearance, instead she feigned interest in the state of her fingernails.

"You heard me," she smiled innocently up at him.

He raised an eyebrow, then took a seat by Sarah's feet on the wall. Sarah followed him with her gaze, then looked serious again, no longer wanting to play games.

"Jareth, I need to ask you something."

"And what might you have need to ask me?" he enquired, curious.

"How much time has passed back in the Aboveground since I left there and arrived here?"

"There's little difference, though time is all relative, Sarah."

"So this is the fourth night I've been away from home?"

He nodded.

"What about when I ran the Labyrinth? You gave me thirteen hours and yet I was home before midnight."

He smiled slightly at that,

"My dear, I gave you less than the initial thirteen hours and I told you back then; I re-ordered time, for you."

She nodded, looking at her hands in her lap.

"Could you - I mean, would you be able to - could I -" she took a deep breath then looked up at him. "Jareth, could you possibly take me to see my family so that I can explain what's going on? I don't want them to worry when they find out that I'm not at home with..."

She looked down again, this time playing with her engagement and wedding bands, a habit that had become more and more common over the past couple of days.

"I could," he replied, though she became wary of the tone in his voice. Jareth watched her for a moment before speaking again. "However, I would like to ask something of you in return."

Sarah swallowed, unsure of what he was about to ask of her. Finally, she found her voice, her eyes fixed on his,

"What do you want from me?"

"I would like to know what happened to cause you to wish yourself away to the goblins."

Whatever she had expected, that wasn't it. Slightly taken aback, she nodded, slowly.

"I suppose you deserve that much from me."

"Sarah, I only ask because I cannot help you if I don't know what's going on in that head of yours. And I'm not stupid. I know something happened to you, to change you so."

"What do you mean?"

"Please, Sarah, do not insult me. You know as well as I do that there's a fire inside of you that something...some_one_ has tried to extinguish. What happened to that beautiful, stubborn girl I remember so fondly?"

"You need your head seeing to, Goblin King," Sarah shook her head, though he didn't miss the gentle tug of a smile at the corners of her mouth. Perhaps their games weren't completely forgotten.

"I don't think so, Sarah, dearest," he argued, though he didn't sound angry or even hurt. "Now, are you going to clear this up for me?"

She watched him for a moment then looked up towards the stars, her head back against the wall,

"Where do I start?"

"The beginning usually works," he replied, gently resting a hand on hers. She returned her gaze to her hands, this time covered by his, and she linked their fingers as she had that morning. She found the contact comforting.

"I suppose I should fill you in on everything that happened after I left here," she mused, raising her head so that she was looking him in the eye. "After you left, that is, after you returned Toby and I home, a lot of things sort of clicked into place. I realised just how much of a selfish brat I had been, especially since Dad married my step-mother and they had Toby. I started to help out more often with him and stopped complaining when they asked me to look after him." She paused for a moment, her eyes fixed on his. "We're a lot closer now than I ever think we would have been if I hadn't wished him away, so I can't regret what I did. I also realised that everything you said to me at the end was true; you _had_ been generous and I hope that you don't think that I don't realise how generous you have been by letting me stay here, especially after ten years and not so much as a 'Hi Goblin King, just wanted to check how that Labyrinth of yours is' from me."

She stopped as she realised that she had begun to ramble, her words almost tripping over one another. She looked back at their hands, squeezing his gently with her own.

"I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Well, that's good to know. I'd hate to think my generosity was lost on you again," he teased. Sarah was about to say something, but then realised he was joking as she moved her gaze upwards and saw his smile. She breathed a gentle sigh of relief and then continued with her story.

"Anyway, after everything that happened that night, I finished high school and went to college, where I studied English. I never forgot this place, even though I tried to convince myself it was all a dream. I think part of me always knew I was trying to kid myself. Whenever I had the chance, I would write about it, even if it was just a quick scribble in the margin of whatever I was supposed to be doing," she rolled her eyes slightly as she remembered just how often she would find random sentences running alongside her lecture notes or her draft assignments. "One of my tutors was really impressed with my stories and helped me to get them published, they started out in a kids' magazine that one of the local libraries put together, and then later I was taken on by a proper publisher and I had my first book in bookshops just after I graduated."

She looked at him, waiting for his reaction, but his face gave nothing away. If he was impressed, he wasn't showing it.

"None of that explains you wishing yourself away Sarah," he said seriously.

"No, I know," she looked down at their hands again and bit her bottom lip slightly before continuing. "While I was at college, I met this guy. His name was Bryan, well is, and he used to come into this little coffee shop that I'd go to when I was writing. The first time I saw him, he was with a group of other guys, but he noticed me as he was looking around and smiled at me. I thought nothing of it, until he came back a few days later, this time alone, and asked if he could buy me a coffee. He had such beautiful chocolate brown eyes and messy dark hair," she had an almost dreamy look in her eyes as she remembered the first proper encounter she'd had with the man who was to become her husband.

"Spare me the details, Precious," Jareth drawled, sounding bored and just a little bit desperate to get away from the subject of the mortal boy's more positive attributes. Sarah raised an amused eyebrow.

"Jealous, Your Majesty?"

"Not in the slightest, my dear," there was almost the hint of a growl behind his words and she giggled slightly. The look in his eyes betrayed him as she searched them intently, leaning towards him slightly.

"You shouldn't be," she insisted, her smile fading to be replaced by a more sombre expression, sitting herself back against the wall, the previously dreamy look now gone from her face as she continued her story. "We dated until I graduated and then he asked me to marry him. Looking back I think it was just a possession thing. I wasn't sure about what I wanted to do after graduation. I didn't have anything lined up job-wise, apart from the part-time job I'd had waitressing at home during the holidays. My publisher hadn't asked about me writing anything else, so I didn't want to pin all my hopes on that working out beyond where it already had. Anyway, after Bryan proposed, he also asked me to move in with him rather than going home. Dad approved and so did Karen, in fact I think she was a bit jealous. She thought Bryan was 'such a nice young man' and would be good for me, she was always flirting with him whenever the two of them met. Karen thought my obsession with fantasy and fairytales was unhealthy and that having a boyfriend and then, even better, a fiancé would be good for me, that it would make me grow up," she sighed slightly. "The following summer we were married. I was writing again by that point and Bryan was working towards a promotion in his company. We had plenty of money to keep up with the rent and pay the bills and we moved into this little house just outside of the city," Sarah swallowed as she remembered the early days of her marriage. "Everything seemed so perfect."

"Did you love him?" Jareth asked, unable to help himself.

"Of course I did!" she snapped, her eyes blazing. "Do you think I would have married him if I didn't?"

Quickly moving from her seated position, Sarah tore her hands from his, and crossed the balcony in a few steps, stopping as far from the Goblin King as she could, her arms folded tightly over her chest.

"Sarah, I didn't -"

"What were you expecting Jareth? For me to have just settled because he gave me some attention? And why do you presume that I don't still love him? At least his proposal didn't include the phrase 'fear me, love me, do as I say'!"

"Well perhaps it should!" He stood from his position on the balcony wall and drew himself up to his full height. "Then you might have at least realised what you were letting yourself in for!"

Her eyes were wide and glistening now, fear and shock mixed in with the anger that had been building within her. She found herself with her back up against the edge of the doorway that led back into her chambers. Composing herself, she looked him straight in the eye.

"How much of this story do you already know Jareth?" she asked, her voice unnaturally calm. "Be honest with me. How much have you already figured out for yourself?"

"Sarah, Precious -" he stepped forward, his voice no longer holding any hint of a threat towards her, but she held out a hand to keep him from her.

"Don't 'Precious' me, Jareth!" she snapped, her voice finally rising again. "I'm not 'your Sarah' or your 'Precious' because unfortunately for you and, as it happens, for me I'm a married woman! Now, tell me the truth! What do you already know about my life before I wished myself away from there?"

"Sarah," he tried to get closer again, her hand pressing against his chest as he did so, but his arms were longer than hers and he rested his hands gently on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "I know more than I'm sure you want me to. I know more than _I_ want me to, believe me. I know what he put you through. I know that he did it time and again and every time he promised he wouldn't do it again. But what I don't know and what I have spent so long trying to understand is, why didn't you call me sooner? Why did you let that worthless mortal reduce you to someone neither of us recognises?"

"Because I didn't know if you would come!"

The tears were now streaming down Sarah's cheeks and she didn't push him away or move as he gently wiped them away, his eyes filled with a deep sadness. He knew only too well that she had tried to convince herself that everything that happened in those thirteen hours when she was a mere girl of fifteen were a dream. Even him. And how often do dreams come to save you, even when you wish for them with all your heart?

"Why didn't you come for me sooner?" she finally asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "If you knew what I was suffering at his hand, why didn't you come save me before it got so bad that I saw no reason to even care anymore? I needed you."

"I couldn't," his voice was quiet and remorseful. "And even if I could, what would you have said if I had? You wouldn't've wanted to hear that I'd been looking in on you since you won back Toby and left this place. In fact, I've got the distinct feeling you'd tell me to disappear, leave you alone and stop watching you."

"I - you're probably right," she admitted quietly, as she moved her arms around his waist and closed her eyes, her cheek against his chest.

"Yes, I probably am," he agreed, kissing the top of her head softly as he held her close to him, slightly surprised, but not disappointed by her reaction.

"And so modest with it," she quipped, her voice slightly muffled by his shirt and the exhaustion that so often follows the outlet of such strenuous emotional turmoil.

"I don't think anyone ever accused me of being modest, my precious Sarah," he smiled slightly as he felt her tighten her hold on him.

"No, I don't suppose they would."

A comfortable silence bestowed itself upon the two of them as they stood together in the the moonlight, neither willing to let go of the other.

"You've been watching me?" she enquired after a few minutes, though there was nothing accusing in her tone.

"I have," he nodded, still keeping her close.

"Why?"

"Do you really need to ask that?"

"No," she admitted. She knew why he had watched her, it was the same reason she dreamed of him so often.

He stood with her for a while longer, listening to her breathing as it slowly returned to normal. "I think, perhaps, it is time that you got some sleep, Sarah. This evening has been rather emotional, to say the least."

"Not yet," she shook her head ever so slightly as she stayed close to him, reluctant to even think about letting go.

"Sarah, you still need rest," he beseeched, gently, his arms still around her.

"I know. I will," she replied, but still stayed holding onto him, as though afraid he might not be real and if she let go he might vanish. "Jareth?"

"Yes, Precious?"

"Will you stay?" she looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him. "I don't want to be alone. Please."

He considered for a moment and then nodded.

"Of course, Sarah. I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled and stood up on her tiptoes, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you."

With that, she let go of him and made her way back into her bedroom. Picking up her nightgown as she went, she continued through to the adjoining bathroom and closed the door behind her.

By the time Sarah emerged again, Jareth had settled himself on her bed, his back propped against the intricately carved headboard with a number of plush pillows. He was wearing black silk pyjamas bottoms, which hung loosely from his hips, nothing like the tight breeches she had seen him in before. He also wore a deep purple silk dressing gown, embellished with gold embroidery and left open to allow her a view of his perfectly formed chest and stomach. On the nightstand beside him, there were two crystal goblets of golden liquid, which shimmered in the candlelight coming from around the room. Sarah assumed the torches and candles around the castle were lit and extinguished by magic, as she hadn't heard anyone come in to light them during the course of the evening. Jareth watched her as she approached the bed and carefully pulled back the silk sheets before sitting beside him.

"Still want me to stay?" he enquired gently, not wanting her to feel like she couldn't change her mind after having had time to think as she readied herself for bed.

Sarah nodded and Jareth held out one of the goblets to her.

"Drink this," he told her, watching her as she considered the golden liquid, her delicate fingers wrapping themselves around the vessel. "It'll help you to sleep."

"What is it?" she asked, as she lifted it to her nose to take in the spicy aroma.

"Just a local spirit. It'll help, I promise."

"Trying to get me drunk?" she teased quietly, her eyes observing him over the rim.

"Not on this occasion, no, Precious."

"Oh, but you might in the future?" she raised an eyebrow as she lifted the goblet to her lips.

"It's not on my immediate agenda."

"Good," she smiled and slowly sipped the drink in her hands. It had a similar effect to that of her father's favourite whisky, she could feel it warming her as she swallowed it and it trickled down her throat. The liquid was sweet, with a slightly spicy aftertaste, which she found to be quite enjoyable and she soon settled herself back on the pillows and cushions, her head against Jareth's shoulder.

They sat together in companionable silence as they both drank their drinks. Jareth gently unbraided Sarah's hair with his free hand and ran his fingers through her dark brown tresses. To his surprise, she didn't question him, verbally or otherwise. In fact, she was enjoying the feel of his fingers as they gently combed through her locks and down her arm. She cuddled up closer to him and closed her eyes, her goblet now empty in her hand. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so content and relaxed in another's arms and she silently hoped that it would not be the last time that the Goblin King held her so tenderly.

Jareth waited until he was sure that Sarah was asleep before removing the empty goblet from her fingers and then settling them both down in the bed, pulling the sheets up over both of them. Finally he was about to spend the night with his beautiful Sarah safely in his arms; where nothing and no-one could harm her.

_Sarah found herself standing on the edge of a very familiar ballroom, dressed in a very familiar ball-gown. Why she couldn't change the dream dress she could never fathom. Surely her twenty-five year old psyche wouldn't choose the same meringue her fifteen year old self had imagined. She began to search the crowd for those familiar mismatched eyes that she longed for so dearly. She caught a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye and spun around. He was playing with her, the way he often did, that's how it went._

_That was the way the game worked._

_Those were the rules._

_She continued to seek him out from among the mocking gentry around her, getting more and more frustrated by the second. She wanted to be in those arms again, _his_ arms. Finally, a hand on her waist announced his presence behind her and she turned into him, one hand finding his shoulder, the other clasped in the one that wasn't at her waist._

_She smiled and they danced together through the crowds and he serenaded her with those same words that he always did, to that same tune that had haunted her since her last venture into the Labyrinth. But, unlike that first dance, she did not run, there was no screaming toddler for her to save, she was free to finish the dance and as they came to a stop, she reached up and kissed him. His lips were so soft against hers, his hands so gentle on her back as he held her close. She lost herself in that perfect kiss._

_And then someone pulled at her arm, tearing her from her King's grasp._

"_You bitch!"_

_The hand around her wrist was tight and painful and the voice, although unexpected, was terrifyingly familiar._

"_No!" she wailed. She didn't have to think twice to know that voice. That cruel, heartless voice. The voice of her husband._

"_You little whore!"_

_His hand met her cheek with such force that she crumpled to the ground, her gown pooling around her, crimson staining the snow white silk._

"_You're mine, Sarah!"_

_Before her mind could comprehend just what was going on, he was on top of her, his hands working to move her skirts up. The surrounding crowd were laughing at her humiliation as she tried and failed to fight him off her._

"_No! Stop it! Bryan, stop it! I don't want this! Please, no!"_

"No!" she whimpered, lashing out in her sleep, her hand hitting something solid, something flesh, but she was still lost to her nightmare.

Jareth winced slightly as she hit him in the chest, her engagement ring catching his skin and causing a thin red line to appear against his otherwise immaculate complexion.

"No! No! Please…" she whimpered again, now almost sobbing in her sleep.

He gently gathered her in his arms and held her close, trying to keep her from harming herself, or him any further.

"Sarah, Precious, it's alright, I've got you," he whispered soothingly in her ear. He kissed her temple tenderly, keeping his arms tightly around her as he waited for the nightmare to subside. He rocked her gently and began to sing softly.

"…As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you. Every thrill is gone. Wasn't too much fun at all. But I'll be there for you, as the world falls down…"

"Jareth?"

He looked down as Sarah's timid voice interrupted him and although the only light in the room now came from the stars outside, he could still see how scared and desperate she was as she searched for his eyes in the darkness.

"Yes, Sarah, it's me. I'm still here. I've not left your side," he tried to reassure her as she turned in his arms and held him close.

"Yes you did," she muttered quietly, her cheek resting against his smooth chest.

"I can assure you that I didn't, Sarah," he replied and kissed her hair softly. "Why would you think that I did?"

"In my dream. He came and you left me to fight him off, but I couldn't and he - he -"

Before she could finish, he cut her off with a soft finger against her lips and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He didn't need to ask whom she was referring to. He knew.

"It wasn't real Sarah, it was just a dream, he cannot hurt you. I promise," he lifted her chin so that she was looking at him in the darkness. "And I will do everything in my power to make sure he can never hurt you again. I swear to you."

He rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and keeping her close. She closed her own, breathing in his sweet, spicy scent.

"Don't leave me," she pleaded quietly.

"Never," he promised and kissed her forehead softly, resting his cheek against her hair as he held her in his arms. "I'll be there, even as the world falls down."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** To all of my lovely readers, thank you for sticking with this and for leaving such lovely reviews. They really do make my day.

I do believe that I am spoiling you, by posting two chapters in as many days, however, since I looked at the word count for what remains to be uploaded, it looks like there are only another two or three chapters left to post and I really need to go through them and re-draft them because I'm not quite happy with them yet - there's something about the ending that just doesn't sit right with me, so I need to fix that before you can see what happens (_Mwahaha - ahem)_. Anyway...

I'm afraid that the sequel may take a while to come, because it is currently just a document full of random snippets that I have written when they have come to me, however, since so many of you have enjoyed this I am determined that I will get it written properly.

So, anyway, before I ramble on too much, here is the next chapter.

Hope you enjoy the drama and fluff!

GlitterngAngel x

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><p>The following morning Jareth woke to find himself alone in bed. He looked around for a few moments before the gentle flutter of silk caught his eye and he saw Sarah standing out on the balcony, her eyes fixed on the horizon. Rising as quietly as he could, he made his way over to her, sliding his arms around her waist and gently kissing her hair. Instinctually, Sarah leaned back into him and lay her arms along his. How long had it been since Bryan had held her so tenderly? How many nights had she dreamed that it was the Goblin King holding her so, instead of her irrationally jealous husband?<p>

"How long have you been awake, Precious?" Jareth enquired, his voice soft and quiet in the peace of the early morning.

"No idea," Sarah shrugged. "An hour? Maybe longer. I saw the sun rise."

"It's better when enjoyed with company."

She shrugged again,

"You were sleeping and you looked so peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you."

"I wouldn't have minded," he insisted, lowering his head slightly so that his chin almost rested upon her shoulder.

She laughed softly,

"You say that now."

"And I mean it."

She smiled slightly, turning her head towards his, kissing his cheek softly.

"What was that for?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him, though he enjoyed the brief contact of her lips against his skin.

"For saving me and for letting me stay."

"I couldn't send you back to him, Sarah. Even I am not that cruel."

"No, I don't think you are."

She kissed his cheek again then gently broke away from him, stepping forward and resting her weight on her hands on the stone wall of the balcony. Jareth stayed back, watching her as she went back to her thoughts, her hair blowing in the gentle morning breeze as she looked out over the Labyrinth.

"When can you take me home?" she turned to look at him over her shoulder as she posed the question that she had been waiting to ask since she woke.

"Whenever you want me to," he shrugged.

"Today?"

"If that's what you want, Precious."

She turned away again and nodded,

"The sooner I do it, the better."

"Very well. I shall get Gretel to come in and help you get ready."

He made to leave, but stopped as he felt her hand fasten around his wrist. He looked back at her expectantly, but she said nothing.

"Is there something else Sarah?"

"Yes," she looked almost nervous as her eyes met his, her bottom lip held between her teeth.

"What is it?"

"Will you stay with me when I tell them?"

"If that is what you wish. Yes."

She nodded,

"If you're there, then I don't need to run away to you."

He gently removed her hand from where it still held his wrist and lifted it to his lips, placing a tender kiss against her skin.

"I'll be there Sarah, whenever and wherever you need me."

Sarah smiled slightly, knowing that he meant every word. No-one, apart from maybe her parents, had ever done so much for her as he did. He exhausted himself just to please her.

"Thank you."

The journey Aboveground felt strange, to say the least. Sarah held on tightly to Jareth for support, unsure of what to expect from the magical form of transportation. They had agreed to use the woodlands, surrounding the park that Sarah had frequented as a child, as a cover for their sudden appearance back in her world. Anywhere else would surely prompt unwanted questions and Sarah was nervous enough about returning without having to explain magical methods of transportation to any mortal bystanders. Once they had arrived safely in the midst of the towering trees, she led the way through the town and towards her father's house, Jareth walking alongside her.

Sarah brought them to a halt as they approached the large Victorian house she had grown up in. The front porch was decorated with balloons and colourful banners declaring 'Happy Birthday!'. She could hear the excited screams and shouts of children coming from the garden, around the back of the building and hidden from their view.

"Toby's birthday," she muttered under her breath, but Jareth heard her as clearly as if she had shouted it.

He reached out and gently took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. She looked down at their hands and then up at him. For such a powerful fae creature, he looked remarkably...mortal. At her request to disguise some of his more unusual features, he had cast a glamour spell over himself, so as to avoid any unwanted attention or questions. To anyone who looked upon him, he looked like any other human; his hair was still the same platinum blond, though somewhat shorter, and feathery wisps drew attention to his stunning mismatched eyes, which in turn were framed by perfectly formed eyebrows, which no longer drew up to a point. He was wearing close fitting black jeans and a navy blue and black striped shirt over a plain black tee, accompanied by smart black boots and a leather jacket. Even in his mortal disguise, Sarah thought he looked more beautiful than any man she had ever laid eyes on. She was wearing a knee-length dress with long, floaty sleeves, made of soft sky-blue material. It was one of the less formal dresses that she had found hidden in the generous wardrobe that Jareth had provided her with. Her feet were clad in navy blue pumps and over her arm she had draped a matching pashmina.

"This could be more interesting than anticipated," she sighed slightly.

"We'll manage," he tried to reassure her, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing it gently.

"Jareth," she almost moaned his name and he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"What, Precious?" he tried to sound innocent, but there was a definite undertone of lust in his voice.

"You know very well what," she replied, exasperated. "You're supposed to be here as my friend and if you keep that up, you're going to have convinced my step-mother than I'm having an affair before I can tell her otherwise." She removed her hand from his and looked at him seriously. "And that really is the last thing I need today."

"I am sorry, my dear Sarah," he replied, gently brushing a stray bit of her hair back behind her ear, though he sounded entirely insincere.

Sarah shook her head,

"You are completely impossible sometimes, Goblin King."

"Not impossible," he laughed slightly. "Just challenging."

"Whatever you say, Jareth," she sighed, looking back up at the house. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"Lead the way."

She took his hand again and began to walk around the side of the house, the sounds of excited children becoming even louder. Jareth winced slightly as a few of the screams pierced the air rather more viciously than the others, though he made no complaint as he followed Sarah to the garden behind her childhood home. He stopped beside her as she paused to take in the sight that greeted them; a brightly coloured bouncy castle, surrounded by numerous children running around playing games and finally a row of wooden tables set up against the kitchen wall, laden with drinks and snacks. She looked around for her little brother, but did not see him among the madness that was ensuing, nor did she see her step-mother's approach.

"Sarah?"

The familiar voice of her step-mother was both surprised and somewhat annoyed, as though Sarah had just walked in on something she shouldn't. Sarah turned to face her.

"Yes, it's me. Why so surprised, Karen?"

"Perhaps because you haven't returned a single one of either my or your father's calls regarding all of this," her eyes darted up at Jareth and then back to her step-daughter. "Or because you've just turned up, with a man who isn't your husband, without so much as a word of warning," Karen's voice was now low and accusing and Sarah's cheeks turned slightly pink, though she said nothing to her defence. "Well, are you just going to stand there or are you-"

"Sarah!"

Karen's tirade was cut short as Sarah felt Toby launch himself around her waist.

"You came!" Toby exclaimed happily, a grin plastered across his face. "Mom and Dad said they didn't know if you were coming or not."

"I wouldn't miss this, kiddo," Sarah ruffled her half-brother's hair as she looked down at him affectionately, glad of the distraction from Karen's attentions. "Are you having fun?"

"Sure am," Toby grinned, then looked curiously at the man at his sister's side. "Who's your friend? And where's Bryan? Is he coming? Did you bring me presents?" he asked, letting Sarah go and looking around for any sign of her husband.

"Toby, I-" Sarah faltered, suddenly feeling even more uneasy than before and even slightly guilty.

"So, you must be little Master Toby," Jareth interjected, saving Sarah from having to explain everything to the curious eleven year old. "My name is Jareth, I'm a friend of your sister."

"Jareth?" Toby raised an eyebrow. "That's a weird name."

Jareth smiled slightly.

"Well, I'm not originally from these parts. It is not considered so 'weird', as you put it, back at home."

"Where is your home?"

"That's enough, Toby," Sarah finally spoke up again. "Why don't you go and play with your friends? I need to go and find Dad."

"I'm right here, Sweetheart," Sarah looked around at the sound of her father's voice. Unlike Karen, he had a warm smile on his face, though she detected a slight hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Daddy!"

Before he knew it, Robert had his daughter's arms wrapped tightly around him, as though she were holding on for dear life.

"As far as I know," he laughed slightly as she lunged herself into his embrace. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" he enquired gently, stroking her hair, as he used to when she was a little girl, and held her close. Jareth watched the two of them for a moment then turned back to the confused young boy before him.

"Toby, how would you like to see some magic?"

"What sort of magic?" Toby asked, sounding completely unimpressed at the prospect.

"Real magic," Jareth grinned, reaching down and producing a crystal behind Toby's left ear, then holding it out for him to see. Toby's eyes widened and he looked up at Jareth in awe.

"How did you do that?" he asked, his eyes now fixed on the sphere in the man's hand. "Is it real?"

"As real as you or I," Jareth smiled as he began to juggle the crystal from one hand to the other, just as the curious eleven year old reached out to touch it.

Toby watched, mesmerised and completely missed the moment when his parents and sister moved away from them and towards the house. He was completely transfixed by his sister's strange new friend and his odd talents and decided it would be a much better idea to stay out of the way of whatever was about to transpire between his sister and parents an see if Jareth could do any more magic tricks.

Karen closed the back door behind her as she followed her husband and step-daughter into the kitchen. She was curious to know what was going on and would not pass up the chance to say her piece.

"So, Sarah, are you ignoring everyone's calls these days or just those from your parents?" Karen almost spat as she went over to fill the kettle. "We've been leaving you messages all week, you can't tell us you haven't had any of them."

"No, I haven't had any of them," Sarah replied, her eyes fixed on the pristine linoleum floor.

"How, can you-"

"I just haven't, Karen!" she snapped, looking up at her step-mother, her eyes glistening with tears. "And you're not my mother, so you can stop pretending that you are!"

"Sarah, Sweetheart," Robert gently took hold of his daughter's hand. "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" she almost shouted, but realised how stupid the statement sounded. She turned to her father, her voice calming slightly. "I mean, everything," she sighed. "Everything is so - so - messed up."

"What do you mean Sarah? You're not making any sense," her father spoke gently, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Daddy, I - I -" Sarah began to sob into her hands, unable to find the right words at that moment.

"Oh, Sarah," Robert wrapped her in his arms and held her close to him, making gentle soothing sounds. "It's alright, whatever it is, we'll figure it out."

Karen looked as though she wanted to object to the scene before her, but Robert gave her a stern look that told her to stay well out of it, knowing how treacherous her relationship was with Sarah. Relenting, she proceeded to make tea for the three of them and set it down on the kitchen table.

It was a few minutes before Sarah was calm enough to speak again and she straightened herself up, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she finally said, looking up into the concerned eyes of her father.

"What have you to be sorry for?" he asked, gently wiping away the last of her tears from her cheeks with his thumb.

"For not being stronger. For coming here and for being like this. For running away from my problems instead of facing them," she sniffed slightly.

"What do you mean, Sarah?" if he hadn't already been confused, he was now and he squeezed his daughter's hand gently. "What's happened? What are you talking about?"

Sarah looked away from him, unable to look at his concerned expression any longer.

"Come on, sit down. Let's get all of this out in the open. You'll feel better for it."

He pulled out a chair for her and Sarah obediently sat at the kitchen table. She wrapped her hands around the cup of tea that Karen placed in front of her, her eyes fixed on the steaming liquid, though she did not move to drink it. She paused as she tried to decide where to start.

"I never got your messages because I haven't been at home," she finally explained, her eyes still lowered in front of her. "I haven't been anywhere near that - that hellhole for... I'm not even sure how long."

"How can you not know? And what do you mean, Sarah?" Karen pried.

"I just don't," Sarah replied, though her voice was still quiet. "It's been days. Nearly a whole week, I think."

"You think?" Karen asked, sounding incredulous, though she went quiet as Robert gave her another stern look.

"It's complicated," Sarah replied, by way of explanation. "Everything's been sort of a blur."

"Where have you been staying, if you've not been home, Sarah?" her father asked, his voice laced with the concern that comes with being a parent.

"With Jareth," she answered honestly. She'd already decided there was no point trying to deny it since she had asked him to come with her and telling the truth seemed easier than fabricating any kind of a lie.

"And who is this Jareth? How do you know him?" Karen asked.

"He's a friend."

"What sort of friend?" Karen pushed.

"Just a friend," Sarah replied firmly, looking up at her step-mother across the table. "We met years ago. And no, he's not _that_ sort of a friend."

"What sort of a _friend_ would that be?"

"The sort of a friend that I'm having an affair with!"

"Sarah," her father's voice was still gentle, but she didn't miss the warning that was in there as he said her name.

"What?"

"Sweetheart," Robert's voice was gentle, but firm, "you have to see things from our point of view. You turn up here, without so much as a word beforehand, with a man we've never met before and who isn't your husband. It's rather, odd, to say the least. Especially for you. You were never the type of girl to bring home a different boy every week."

"It's incredibly suspicious, is more like it," Karen muttered as she sipped her tea delicately.

"Karen," Robert warned, his voice no longer as gentle as when he addressed his daughter. Sarah looked down at her tea again.

"Oh, don't 'Karen' me, Robert. You're thinking exactly the same."

"That's no reason to say it like that. Can't you see that Sarah is clearly very upset by something?"

"Oh, Robert, the girl's got you wrapped around her little finger like she always has done," Karen accused, in her favourite holier-than-thou voice, the one Sarah was sure she saved to benefit any cause relating to her. "She even tried to do the same to poor Bryan, when she married him, but he had more wits about him and wouldn't let her. He -"

"He hit me," Sarah interrupted quietly.

"Pardon?" Karen looked at Sarah in disbelief.

"I said, he hit me," she repeated, looking at the stunned expression on Karen's face. "'Poor Bryan', that 'nice boy' that you adored so very much hit me and then forced himself upon me because he thought that I was having an affair with someone at the office and he was jealous. And no matter what I said or did, I could not convince him otherwise and so, he would do it again and again, so as to 'remind' me of whose wife I was. As though living every day under the same roof as that - that monster wasn't reminder enough." Her voice rose as she spoke and her eyes glistened with fresh tears.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sarah," Karen replied. "You're just trying to make up excuses for why you're off with some other-"

"Do you want to see the proof?" Sarah shouted across the table as she rose to her feet, pulling aside neckline of her dress so that the bite marks from Bryan's last assault could be seen. "Look! See, here, where he bit down so hard it bruised and broke the skin."

Tears were streaming down her cheek again, this time, though, they were tears of anger.

"That proves nothing Sarah. For all we know, you might actually _enjoy_ that kind of thing," Karen replied, waving a dismissive hand in her step-daughter's direction.

"Karen!" Robert looked at his wife incredulously, but she ignored him.

"Would you like to see the bruises on my back from when he slammed me against the wall?" Sarah asked as she viciously pulled up her dress sleeve to reveal her upper arm and the marks that tainted it. "Or how about these, from all the times he grabbed me to stop me from getting away from him."

She watched as Karen took it all in.

"Still think I'm making it all up to cover up some sordid extra-marital affair, Karen?"

Karen made no response, her eyes darting between her step-daughter and her husband. She thought to say something else, but held her tongue.

"I'll save you from the sight of my thighs," Sarah finished, her voice sounding unnaturally calm. "Excuse me."

She turned away from the table and left her father and step-mother in stunned silence as she ran up the stairs and along the landing to the main bathroom. As soon as she locked the door she turned and sank to the floor, hugging her knees tightly to her chest, and she sobbed. After a few minutes, her sobs calmed enough for her to take a number of deep breaths and she leant her head back against the door. She didn't know how long she remained there before she heard a gentle knock above her head, on the other side of the door.

"Sarah?" the concerned voice of the Goblin King penetrated the room as though the door weren't even there, but she stayed silent. "Precious, I know you're in there."

"What did I tell you about calling me 'Precious'?" she asked, turning her head to the side, as though to look at him through the solid fixture.

"I don't remember, Precious. Care to remind me?"

She could hear the smile on his lips as he teased her and it riled her slightly, but she was too tired to be angry.

"Jareth, please stop it. I'm in no mood for playing games."

"Who said anything about playing games?" he asked, still looking at the door which separated them. "Now are you going to open this door so that we can talk about what happened down there?"

She didn't reply, nor did she move. He considered transporting himself to the other side by magic, but then thought better of it and instead sat on the floor with his back up against the door. They sat in silence for a few minutes, almost mirroring one another on either side of the wooden barrier.

"She accused me of making it all up," Sarah finally spoke, playing with the hem of her dress. "She actually accused me of lying about what he did to me, thinking I was covering up the fact I was having some kind of sordid affair and that was the real reason that I left."

"Your father doesn't believe that."

"I know he doesn't," she sighed slightly.

"He's worried about you, Sarah."

"Then why is it you sitting on that side of the door and not him?"

"Because he's downstairs in the kitchen having severe words with that wicked step-mother of yours."

"For all the good it'll do."

"He's still trying," he replied, defending her father's efforts. "You know, you are incredibly difficult to please, at times, Precious."

"Let me guess, it's exhausting living up to my expectations."

"Precisely."

"Then why do you bother?"

"You know why, Sarah."

There was silence for a moment.

"Say it. Please," she begged quietly.

"Why?"

"Because I want to hear you say it."

"What difference will it make?"

"Take a chance and see."

He sighed and shook his head.

"I thought you weren't in the mood for games."

"I'm not."

"Then why - what about your father and step-mother?"

"Oh, Jareth, just say it. I really don't care what they think anymore."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is. I'm not going back to Bryan, no matter what they might have to say about it, especially her, now will you please just tell me what I want to hear?"

He could hear the frustration in her voice and the way she shuffled on the other side of the door.

"I love you, my precious Sarah," he finally acquiesced and waited for her response, but none came. "Is that what you wanted to hear from me?"

Still she did not speak and he listened as she stood up, following suit as he heard her slide the lock back. Slowly she opened the door and looked at him, biting her bottom lip as she considered what she was about to do.

"Precious…" he began, but Sarah halted him with a soft finger against his lips.

"Don't," she commanded gently. "Don't say a thing."

Removing her finger from his lips, she reached up to the back of his head and gently, but firmly pulled him down to kiss him tenderly on the lips. As she broke away from him, she smiled slightly as she noticed how his eyes betrayed his shock. Standing on her tip-toes and anchoring her arms around his neck, she moved close enough to him to whisper in his ear, her breath tickling his sensitive skin.

"I love you too, Jareth."

Those five words were the sweetest he had ever heard and his arms instantly wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her body flush up against his. She smiled and closed her eyes, relief at having finally admitted her feelings flooding through her veins. Holding her firmly, he lifted her a few inches off the carpeted landing and kissed her temple carefully spinning her around. She tightened her hold on him, burying her face in his shoulder, one hand still tangled in his messy blond hair.

A subtle cough from the direction of the stairs brought them both back into the moment and Sarah opened her eyes to see her father standing a few feet away. Breaking away from Jareth's hold as he put her back on her feet, she smoothed out her dress and then took his hand as she faced her father.

"Sarah, could I speak with you please?" Robert asked, then looked at Jareth pointedly. "Alone."

"Daddy, Jareth already knows-"

"Sarah," Jareth squeezed her hand gently as he spoke and she looked up at him. "It's okay. Go with your father. I'll still be around when the two of you have finished."

He kissed her forehead gently and she finally nodded and followed her father through to his study, closing the door behind them, but not before glancing back at her saviour and love, a smile still tugging at her lips.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note:** Hello again, my lovely, loyal readers.

I hope you can forgive me for keeping you waiting for this, I have been re-reading and re-drafting quite a bit over the last week. I have yet to finish the final chapter to a point where I am happy to post, however I thought I would give you a little something to be going on.

I'm publishing this before I try to do it under the influence of any more wine or mead and something goes wrong. I went to a medieval fayre today and came home with several bottles of alcohol and the cutest flower headdress. A guy addressed me as Maid Marion, however I think it is much more Sarah-esque, so all I need now is my Goblin King!

I hope you enjoy this and please forgive me for any mistakes that I may have overlooked.

GlitteringAngel x

P.S. M-rating is particularly relevant to this chapter for some adult situations later on.

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><p>Sarah remained in her father's study for almost an hour, shedding fresh tears as she relived for him everything that Bryan had put her through; the accusations, the possessive behaviour and every other way he had found to make her, supposed, home a hell. She told him how it had finally gotten too much and she had run from the house before Bryan could return to give her second helping of what he had already subjected her to that night. She explained how Jareth had saved her, though she left out how she had wished for the goblins to take her away and that Jareth was in fact a powerful fae King, and that she had been staying with him ever since. Her father became very interested in this friend of hers, but Sarah brushed over the facts and told him that the two of them had met years ago and that he had only recently walked back into her life. Robert seemed a little sceptical, but accepted Sarah's insistence that nothing had been going on between them before she had walked out on Bryan and that Jareth had been the perfect gentleman the entire time she had been staying with him. He even seemed to believe her when Sarah said that the tender moment he had witnessed earlier was the first time they had even kissed properly.<p>

As she opened up to her father, away from the criticisms of her step-mother, a substantial weight seemed to lift itself from Sarah's chest. Having his support with getting herself out of the abusive marriage she had found herself in was an immeasurable comfort; she couldn't stand the thought of him being disappointed in her because things hadn't worked out with her husband, she'd much rather he was angry with her than disappointed. Robert's main concern regarding his daughter's reaction to everything, was why she hadn't said anything to him sooner. As with Jareth, he could not understand why Sarah had remained silent and suffered alone for so long. He mentally kicked himself for not noticing anything sooner, what with all the family occasions that had seen them all come together, all of those Christmases and birthdays, he felt that he should have noticed a change in his own daughter, even with her living away from them. Sarah tried to alleviate his guilt, by explaining how she had taken to hiding the evidence of Bryan's abusive nature, but she was unsure of how successful she was and told him that all she cared about was having his support now that she had finally admitted everything.

Jareth was sitting on a wooden bench in the back garden when Sarah finally came to find him. All of Toby's friends had been collected by their parents and returned home, leaving the eleven year old alone to make the most of having the entire bouncy castle to himself. Karen was busy in the kitchen, sorting out the leftover food and drink, keeping herself to herself. Sarah sat on the bench beside the Goblin King and rested her head against his shoulder, her hand found his, laid on his thigh, and she linked their fingers. Jareth smiled slightly and wrapped his other arm around her, holding her close.

"Hello, again," he practically purred as he looked down at her, nestled against him.

"Hello," she replied, her attention on her brother as he enjoyed himself.

"How did things go with your father?"

"As well as they could, given the circumstances."

"Well that's good to hear," he replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah," she agreed. "He wanted to know why I never said anything sooner."

"As did I, as you may recall," he replied, gently stroking her hair as he held her close to him.

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Sarah couldn't even explain it to herself, so how was she supposed to explain to either her father or Jareth why it had never occurred to her to ask for help? A part of her put it down to fear, fear of what Bryan might do if he ever found out that she had dared to say such things about him to someone else, another part of her put it down to her stubborn streak and a desire to work out her own problems. She stayed close to Jareth for a while longer as she considered her past choices then looked up at him.

"Jareth?"

"Yes, Sarah?" he looked back at her, gently pushing her hair back off her face.

"Would you mind if we stayed for a couple of days?" she asked, almost timidly. "There are things that I need to do."

"Such as?"

"Making it up to Toby for not having brought him a birthday present."

"Of course," he nodded, continuing to look back at her as she said nothing further. "Is that all?"

She shook her head, looking away again, her attention now on the bands around her left ring finger.

"No. I need to sort out getting a divorce from Bryan. My leaving him needs to be made official."

He nodded and kissed her hair softly.

"Of course, we can stay a while longer. I will have to return at some point though, Sarah, things won't run themselves in the Underground."

"I know," she squeezed his hand gently. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, my dear Sarah," he smiled and kissed the tip of her nose softly, causing a gentle giggle to escape her.

A few moments later Toby approached the two of them and Sarah looked up at him.

"Hey there kiddo. Did you have a good birthday?"

"You've been crying, Sarah."

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" she laughed slightly and straightened up.

"Nope," Toby shook his head and studied his sister closely. Sarah watched him for a moment before speaking again.

"You didn't answer my question," she accused, gently poking him in the ribs.

"It was okay," he shrugged, noncommittally.

"Only okay?" she asked, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

Toby shrugged again.

"Toby, what's up?" Sarah enquired gently, taking hold of her brother's hand and squeezing it, her expression gentle and filled with sisterly concern.

"Where's Bryan? Why are you here with Jareth and not him? Did you two have a fight?"

Sarah bit her bottom lip, considering her answer, before nodding.

"Yeah… Yeah, we did Toby. A really big one."

"Don't you still love him though? Mom says that sometimes adults fight, but it doesn't mean that they don't still love one another."

Sarah sighed, her brother could be far too inquisitive for her liking sometimes.

"Sometimes that's true, but sometimes people do things that make others stop loving them."

"Did Bryan do something bad to make you stop loving him? Did he hurt you, Sarah?"

Sarah hesitated before answering.

"Yeah, he did," she admitted. "But he's not going to anymore because I'm not going to be living with him," she added quickly, as she saw the horrified look on her sibling's face.

"So, who are you going to be living with? Is that why you've come home? Are you coming back to stay?"

"No, Toby, " she shook her head slightly and affectionately rand a hand through his hair. "I'm not coming back to live here."

"Then where _are_ you going to live? Are you going to live with Jareth?"

"For a while, yes."

Toby turned to Jareth and narrowed his eyes on him,

"You'd better not hurt my big sister."

"I have no intention of hurting Sarah, Master Toby," Jareth assured the boy.

"Good. You talk funny, by the way."

"Toby!" Sarah scolded.

"What? He does. He calls me 'Master Toby' all the time. No-one says stuff like that except really rich and posh people, who get all dressed up and go to posh parties and stuff."

"Where'd you get that from Tobes?" she asked, her tone unmistakably amused.

Toby shrugged,

"All those rubbish films that Mom likes to watch on the TV and that she ends up crying at all the time, y'know, where all the girls wear frilly dresses and it's all bowing and curtsying and don't speak unless spoken to and no-one's allowed to do anything that other people don't like. All that rubbish."

Sarah couldn't help but laugh at that. Karen had always enjoyed watching period dramas on the television, whereas Sarah preferred the literature and her own imagination. She was amazed, however, that her baby brother had stuck around long enough to actually be able to work out what was going on.

"I'm not sure I know what you find so funny about that, Sarah," Jareth interrupted her giggles and she tried to compose herself.

"No," Sarah shook her head, fighting off more laughter. "You wouldn't."

"You're doing it again," Toby insisted, bouncing on the balls of his feet and pointing at Jareth.

"Don't point, Toby. It's not polite," Sarah chastised gently as she calmed herself and pulled her brother to sit on her lap. Toby shuffled to get comfortable and looked up at his sister as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"I never liked Bryan," he declared after a few moments.

Sarah laughed slightly, gently playing with Toby's hair,

"Why's that Tobes?"

"He made you stay away from us. You stopped coming home as much as you used to. And you stopped telling me stories," Toby replied, his voice mournful.

"You grew out of my stories long before Bryan came along," Sarah sighed, holding Toby slightly closer. "And moving out of here was just part of me growing up. Just like me getting married was."

"And getting a divorce?"

"Yeah, and getting a divorce will be another 'growing up' thing I do," she laughed again, though no longer with amusement.

"You can come home if you want to Sarah," Toby offered, sounding almost hopeful. "Your bedroom's still like it was when you left. Dad won't let Mom change it."

Sarah smiled slightly at that.

"Thanks, Tobes. I'll think about it, okay?"

Toby nodded and cuddled closer to her.

"It's not the same without you around, Sar."

"You mean it's quieter because your mom and I aren't screaming at one another?"

"No, well, yeah, obviously that, but other stuff like when Mom and Dad go out and they get this girl from down the street to come and babysit even though I tell them I'm not a baby anymore and I don't need a babysitter."

"You're not old enough to be left alone when they go out Tobes. Someone's got to keep an eye on you."

"But she's so boring. All she does is sit around watching rubbish movies and she never lets me stay up to play on my video games."

"And neither did I, if they ever ask," she warned poking him gently in the ribs, her voice low.

"Yeah, alright, Sar," he grinned, imitating her poking.

"Ahh," Sarah winced as his finger poked one of her bruised ribs and Toby suddenly looked guilty.

"Sorry, Sar, did I hurt you?"

Sarah shook her head, though her eyes betrayed her,

"I asked for that. It's okay, kiddo, you weren't to know," she assured him as she saw the worried look on her brother's face.

"Are you alright, Sarah?" Jareth asked, his voiced filled with concern, as he looked down at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she insisted, looking up at him. "Just, still healing."

"Was it Bryan?" Toby asked, watching the two of them.

"Yeah, it was," Sarah looked back at her brother.

"I'll kill him," Toby said, his face grave.

"Oh, no you will not, Toby Williams," Sarah warned, waving a finger in his face to show just how serious she was. "You leave him to me and the divorce court."

"But he hurt you."

"I know, but I'll not have you getting in trouble on my account."

"Your sister is right, Toby," Jareth spoke up, looking at the youngster. "Killing her vile husband is not the answer."

"Jareth!" Sarah hissed.

"Yes, Precious?" Jareth asked, feigning innocence. He kissed her forehead softly, ignoring the glare she was giving him.

Toby watched the exchange with amusement, approving much more of this Jareth than he ever had of Bryan. Even when she looked at him with narrowed eyes, his sister glowed in his presence.

Toby hoped that Jareth would stick around.

Later that evening Jareth sat stretched out on Sarah's old bed, now wearing only his jeans and teeshirt, the rest of his attire hung over the back of the chair in front of Sarah's vanity unit. He was reading one of the many books that she still kept at the house. It was a collection of fairytales, and the Goblin King was internally criticising them as he read the mortal versions of the events he had studied as a boy. Sarah paused in the doorway as she returned from relaxing in the bath and smiled as she watched him for a few moments. She was dressed in a pair of comfortable flannel pyjamas and her hair was damp around her shoulders.

"Are you going to stay over there Precious?" Jareth asked, not even looking up from the book in his hands.

"That depends," she teased, her arms folded over her chest. "Are you going to give me some attention, or am I losing out to a book of fairytales?"

He looked over the top of the book, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Did you know that these so called 'fairytales' of yours are based in fact, but they somehow manage to get most, if not all, aspects of the events incorrect?"

Sarah laughed softly and shook her head, closing the door before walking over to her bed and crawling up the mattress to lie beside Jareth.

"I did not know that. Nor does it surprise me that _you_ would be the one to alert me to such information," she smiled, kissing him softly and taking the book from his hands, dropping it to the floor beside the bed. Jareth couldn't help the grin that reached his lips as he kissed her back gently, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close. He allowed Sarah to set the pace of the kiss, slow and sensual. Their tongues danced together in harmony and she reached up to cup his cheek gently in her hand, her fingers brushing his soft skin.

When they parted from the tender kiss, Sarah smiled contently and snuggled up to Jareth, resting her cheek against his chest. Moving her hand from his cheek, her fingers found the medallion that he had worn concealed beneath his Aboveground clothes all day and began to play with it, turning it in the light. Holding it carefully between her fingers and thumb she examined the metal pendant intently, taking in the delicate detail and exquisite craftsmanship. Jareth watched her closely, absent-mindedly stroking her damp tresses.

"What are you doing, Precious?"

"Just looking," she smiled up at him. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all," he smiled back and placed a soft kiss on the crown of her head.

"Good," she continued to examine the pendant for a while before setting it back against his chest as she spoke again. "We should get some sleep."

"Indeed, we should," he agreed and kissed her gently on the lips, quietly pleased as she immediately reciprocated.

Unwilling to be the one to break the kiss or to move from where he lay, and satisfied that no-one beside the two of them would be witness, Jareth used magic to ready himself for bed and settled himself beneath the duvet with Sarah in his arms.

"Show off," she muttered under her breath as she finally broke their kiss and snuggled up close to him, reaching over his body to turn of her bedside light.

"Your expectations are for nothing less," he murmured as he kissed her hair softly.

She smiled slightly.

"True."

The following morning Sarah awoke to the sound of voices in the kitchen below. She could tell that the owners of the voices were trying to keep low and remain unheard, but every now and then they rose so that she could hear clearly what they were arguing about. Her.

"You do realise that she spent the night with that so called friend of hers, after we'd told her that we'd made up the guest bedroom for him."

Karen.

Sarah sighed slightly and looked at Jareth, who was still sleeping soundly, the feathery strands of his fringe playing around his eyes and forehead.

"She's a grown woman Karen. Sarah can do what she likes. She doesn't need to ask our-"

"She's also a married woman, Robert!"

"And after what her so-called husband has done to her, I think she deserves the attention of someone who actually cares about her, don't you?"

"We know nothing about that man she's got upstairs, Robert!"

Karen wasn't bothering to keep her voice down any more and Sarah carefully moved from Jareth's arms, determined not to disturb him. Picking up her dressing gown from the back of her door on her way, Sarah left her bedroom and padded barefoot down the stairs. She could still hear the voices floating from the kitchen, Karen accusing her without her there to defend her actions, her father doing all he could in her absence. Sarah stopped as she reached the entrance to the kitchen, her dressing gown now on over her pyjamas and tied at her waist, she watched her step-mother as she busied herself cleaning and then her father as he poured himself a mug of freshly brewed coffee.

"I'm not comfortable with her conducting her dirty affairs under my roof," Karen ranted, not having noticed the appearance of her step-daughter.

"Don't worry Karen, I'll be sure to take my dirty affairs to some sordid motel. That is, when I decide to start having them," Sarah glared across the room at her step-mother, who turned around suddenly at the sound of her retort. Robert turned around, his coffee in his hands, looking solemn.

"How long have you been awake, Sweetheart?"

"Long enough," Sarah replied simply and walked over to pour herself a mug of steaming coffee, kissing her father's cheek gently as she went. "Good morning, Daddy."

"Good morning, Sweetheart. Did you sleep well?"

She shrugged,

"Fine thanks."

She lifted the mug of steaming coffee to her lips and sipped the silky liquid, closing her eyes for a moment as she savoured the warmth that trickled through her entire body. She had missed her morning coffee fix during her days in the Underground and wondered if she'd be able to amend that if she decided to stay there for good.

"Have you got plans for today?" her father asked after a few moments, causing Sarah to open her eyes again and look up at him.

"I need to go home. I need to pick up my things."

"What about Bryan?" Karen chipped in.

"If he's there, then I'll have to face him," she looked, stonily, at her step-mother. "Otherwise he'll just be getting divorce papers delivered to him, along with my best wishes that he burns in hell."

"Would you like me to come with you?" Robert offered, watching his daughter as she sipped her coffee.

Sarah shook her head.

"No, I'll be fine Daddy. Jareth will come with me, but thank you."

"What else are fathers for, if not looking after their little girls?" he asked, gently squeezing her shoulder.

"Playing football in the park with their little boys?" Sarah suggested, moving closer and resting her head against her father's shoulder.

"I suppose there is always that," Robert smiled slightly.

"Yes there is," she sipped her coffee again.

"Do you really think that taking that man to your home and more than likely your husband is a good idea?" Karen asked, incredulously.

"It's a better idea than _not_ taking him," Sarah shot back, her eyes narrowed on her step-mother for a few moments before straightening up again. "Excuse me, I'm going to go back upstairs to see if Jareth is awake yet."

She left her father and step-mother alone in the kitchen and made her way back to her bedroom, quietly opening the door and slipping inside. The Goblin King was still sleeping soundly, though he had moved position slightly since she had left him to investigate the commotion downstairs. Her duvet covered him from the waist down, while his torso was bare apart from his ever present pendant. Even in his glamoured appearance, he looked perfect as he slept and she was tempted to slip back into those strong arms that had held her all night. She refrained, however, and instead went to curl up on the window seat, her mug of coffee still encased in her hands.

She began to think about Bryan and what she would say to him if she encountered him at the house. She knew there was a good chance that she would see her despicable husband, it was, after all, Sunday, which meant no work. In the early days of their marriage, they would spend the best part of the morning in bed, drinking coffee, eating pastries and working their way through the morning paper. Sarah would read the arts and culture section from cover to cover, while Bryan would skim the business pages, picking out only a few articles to read fully. When they finally got up, and Sarah had moaned about how many crumbs were covering the sheets, they would move though to the living room and curl up together on the sofa, watching the tackiest films they could find and seeing how long they could last before one of them would start trying to distract the other, which would, more often than not, lead to hours of hot, passionate sex. During the first few months of living in their new home, Sarah was sure they had had sex in every room they owned, back when it had been fun and fresh and consensual on both sides.

She closed her eyes, thinking back to the day they had moved into their new home, back to a time before it had turned into her hell.

"_Sarah, where's the coffee machine?" Bryan shouted from the kitchen, as he opened the last box marked 'Kitchen stuff' and looked for his favourite new appliance._

"_In the same box it was packed in!" Sarah shouted back from the living room, a she set about getting the television hooked up to the VCR. If nothing else got done that evening, she wanted to be able to curl up with a trashy film, a glass of wine and a takeaway._

"_I can't find it Sar!"_

"_Well look harder!" _

_She laughed quietly to herself, as she heard Bryan cursing in the kitchen as he checked every box again._

"_I think we're a box missing!"_

_Sarah grinned as the television came to life then rose to her feet and made her way to the kitchen, to observe her husband on his frantic hunt for the coffee machine._

"_It'll turn up Bry, don't you worry your pretty little head," she teased, leaning on the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest._

"_That thing cost a fortune!" Bryan moaned, looking crestfallen._

"_Aww, poor baby," Sarah mocked, walking over to where he stood and reaching out to run her fingers through his messy hair. "Y'know, I'm starting to feel like you love that shiny toy of yours more than you love me."_

"_Never," Bryan replied in a gentle growl, his hands quickly moving to grab her hips and pull her flush up against him._

"_Prove it," she challenged him, both of her hands now in his hair, her fingers grasping it tightly. "Go on, you coffee obsessed fiend. Prove that you love me more than that shiny new toy of yours."_

_Her emerald eyes mirrored his chocolate brown ones, blazing with an insane lust, and before she knew it, her back was up against one of the empty cabinets. She could barely breathe as her lips were crushed together with his, their tongues battling one another passionately. His hands were under her teeshirt, massaging her breasts frantically, yet expertly. Her hands moved from his hair to remove his shirt from his body, her fingers working the buttons without issue and then moving on to the fastening of his jeans. Before she could push them off, he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and moved her to the worktop, where he set her back down and worked on removing her jeans and silk pants, which were already damp with her eagerness to have him inside of her right there, in the kitchen._

"_Oh, Sarah," he murmured in her ear before trailing kisses down her neck and chest, her teeshirt no longer an obstacle as it lay where she had dropped it just moments before, on top of one of the boxes around Bryan's feet._

_Her hands made quick work of his jeans and boxers and she wrapped her legs more tightly around his waist, pulling his face up to hers so that she could kiss him again. Their bodies moved together and soon Bryan was thrusting hard within her. Sarah gasped, throwing her head back, her hair cascading down her back and gently brushing her bare skin. She moaned Bryan's name, her fingernails digging into the flesh of his shoulders as she used her hands to anchor herself to him._

_It wasn't long before they both found their release, panting and moaning in unison, their skin glistening with sweat. As Sarah managed to catch her breath, she looked up into Bryan's eyes, which were dazzling as they so often did as he gazed upon her._

"_So, how did I do?" he murmured. "Do you believe me that I love you more than my coffee fix?"_

"_I do," she smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. "And I love you too."_

Silent tears trickled down her cheeks and she opened her eyes, looking down into the mug that she still held in her hands. Her coffee fix.

A gentle hand on her shoulder made her look around. Standing above her, his eyes full of confused concern, was the king of her dreams, the only man to have turned the world upside down for her. And yet, here she was crying over memories of a man who had turned her life into a living hell. She quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and forced a small smile to her lips.

"Hey," she spoke quietly. "You're awake."

"So are you," he replied, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "And you've been crying."

"Nothing new there," she said, turning her cheek into his hand and placed a soft kiss against his palm. "Did you sleep well? I'm afraid my old bed isn't as comfortable as those in your castle."

"It was adequate. How about you? Did you sleep well?"

His eyes searched hers and his fingers moved to comb through her hair gently. She nodded in response to his question.

"Would you like some breakfast?" she asked, her eyes still on his.

"As it happens, yes, I would."

She smiled and swung her feet round so that she could stand up.

"Breakfast it is then. Although I can't promise anything exciting."

"Luckily for you, my expectations don't reach as far as yours, my dear."

"Well that's a relief," she smiled and kissed his cheek gently, her mood lighter than when she had woken, and waited for him to ready himself to join the rest of the family for breakfast.

Karen stayed oddly quiet and restrained, during breakfast, after which Sarah and Jareth prepared to go and collect Sarah's things from the house that she shared with Bryan. He wore the same outfit that he had worn the day before, but Sarah was dressed in clothes that she had left when she moved out; a pair of jeans, which were looser on her than the last time she had worn them, a v-neck polo shirt in baby blue and a navy zip-up jacket with a hood, her hair was up in a messy ponytail and she had applied a little makeup in an attempt to hide the dark circles under her eyes. Jareth could have sworn she was several years younger than he knew her to be as he admired her appearance. She picked up the spare set of house keys that her father kept 'just in case' before they finally left and made their way to the local park. The two of them had agreed that Jareth would transport them to the park from which Jareth had rescued her and they would walk to the house, just as when they had arrived the previous day. Sarah, however, told her father that they would take public transport, and she would drive them back in her car that evening with her things, the latter, at least, being true. As they made their way to the same park that Sarah had frequented when she as younger, she walked with Jareth to the wooded area along the edge of the park.

"Are you ready to do this?" he asked gently as she stopped and turned to look up at him.

"As I'll ever be," she nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding onto him firmly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Right, this chapter is somewhat shorter than some of the others have been, however I am still working on the final chapter (I'm still not happy with it yet) and after this, that is all there is left of this story. I thought I would give you something to go on until I manage to work out the ending.

Thank you again to all of my loyal readers and especially those of you who hit review. You all make my day just that little bit brighter.

Enjoy!

GlitteringAngel x

P.S. Usual disclaimers apply. I own nothing, except a copy of the DVD and a pretty flowery headband.

* * *

><p>Sarah still found being magically transported from one place to another a strange sensation and she had the distinct feeling that she would never get used to it. They reappeared in the same park that Jareth had saved her from after she fled from the house into the thunderstorm, but in a more secluded area than that which surrounded the bench that she had been using as a bed in the downpour. She didn't stop to look around as they appeared in the familiar clump of trees and began to walk towards the park's exit. She had no desire to think about the night she had wished herself away to the goblins, it was going to be hard enough walking back into the house she perceived as her hell on earth.<p>

It took them some twenty minutes to reach Sarah's road on foot, during which time she had to keep forcing herself to continue onward. Every inch of her wanted to just turn and run away again. As they rounded the final corner she slowed down, her eyes fixed on the house at the end of the street, a few steps more and she halted completely. Jareth stopped beside her and shifted his gaze to look upon her.

"You don't have to do this," he offered, squeezing her hand gently.

"Yes I do."

"Sarah-" he began, but he was stopped by the serious look she gave him, a look that told him there was no turning back.

"I can't keep running Jareth. I have to face him and that place sometime and if I don't do it now then I don't think I ever will."

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered?"

Sarah laughed ruefully, shaking her head,

"The story of my life."

"Perhaps this chapter of it."

"Yeah and the one before it and the one before that," she sighed. "I've come to the conclusion that life is never going to be easy and will never quite live up to the expectations of my dreams."

"And why is that, Precious?" he asked, gently moving a stray piece of her hair back behind her ear.

"Because the only person to ever try and live up to those high expectations was a king, in a land where dreams and wishes mean so much more than they ever will in this world. A king, who offered to give me my dreams."

"You could still have your dreams Sarah."

She shook her head.

"Not until I've got closure on my current, unfortunate, reality."

"Very well. The offer shall still be there when you are ready."

"Your generosity is something we need to discuss when all of this is over and done with."

"To what purpose?"

"You'll see, Goblin King," she responded, somewhat mysteriously, then smiled slightly, removing his hand from where it lingered across her cheek. "Come on. I've got to face my vile husband at some point."

Together they approached the house at the end of the street, their steps perfectly synchronised with one another.

"Just remember; your will is as strong as his, if not more so," Jareth encouraged her as they walked. "After all, you defeated the Labyrinth to save Toby."

"No mention of the Goblin King?" she looked up at him, an eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Let's leave him out of this for now, shall we?"

"Whatever you wish, Your Majesty."

She smiled up at him for a moment before realising that they had reached her front door. She hesitated for a moment, resting her hand against the cool painted wood of the entrance, an uncomfortable feeling of dread rising up within her again. Refusing to linger on things any further, she swallowed her fear and reached into her jeans pocket to remove the set of keys that she had brought with her, sliding the appropriate one into the lock.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered under her breath as she let them inside, stepping over the threshold and looking around the familiar entrance hall. Her shoes were still scattered around in untidy rows along a length of one of the walls, her jackets and coats hung on the rack beside her, buried beneath Bryan's.

Jareth closed the door as he followed her inside, taking in the place that he had seen through his crystals so many times. Somehow, it felt bigger than he had expected.

Sarah took a moment to look around her before she proceeded through to the kitchen, picking up the pile of envelopes that littered the breakfast bar and flicked through them, taking out the few with her name on the front. She moved as though she were on auto-pilot and she had just returned home as if it were any other day. She reached out and pushed the 'play' button on the answering machine and listened as the first of the messages played out; her publisher's voice reminding her about the meeting he expected her to be at that week and the party he was holding the following weekend and how much he hoped she would be able to attend. Making a mental note to call him later, she hit the 'delete' button and continued listening to the messages play through; one from her mother-in-law wondering why neither she nor her son had been in touch for a week, two from Karen about Toby's birthday and then finally one from someone she didn't recognise. Sarah looked up from the bill she was studying as the sound of the strange woman's voice rang out through the kitchen, shrill and piercing,

"Hi Baby, gonna be a bit late tonight, the girls and I got a bit carried away with lunch and, well, I've only just got in, so can we make it eight instead of seven? Call me and let me know, Gorgeous. It'll be worth the wait, I promise."

Sarah had to restrain herself from throwing the base unit across the kitchen as she stared at it in disbelief.

"The little bastard," she muttered quietly before her voice raised in anger. "That fucking hypocritical bastard!"

She threw the mail she had been holding onto the worktop and Jareth followed her as she stormed back out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

"Sarah," his voice was hushed, yet firm and warning, but she ignored him all the same, taking the stairs two and three at a time. She was in no mood to be told what she should and should not do. He reached out a hand to grab her arm in an attempt to stop her, but she was already too far ahead of him. He wondered if he should have told her what he had seen before they left the Underground. She moved with purpose, all caution thrown to the wind, and quickly reached the master bedroom that she and Bryan shared. She had no idea where this sudden burst of courage had come from, but she wasn't going to waste it and she flung the door open, her eyes blazing as she looked upon her husband in bed with his arms around another woman.

Their bed.

For once, she was grateful that Bryan was a heavy sleeper, and so, apparently, was his girlfriend. Jareth stayed out on the landing, already aware of what Sarah would be looking upon and unwilling to get in the way of her rage-induced tirade.

Going over to the side of the bed her husband was occupying Sarah leant down so that her lips were mere millimetres from his ear.

"This is your Sunday morning wakeup call," she whispered silkily, before raising her voice as she continued, "you hypocritical, cheating, bastard!"

She moved away quickly as Bryan snapped awake, whipping around to see who had woken him so rudely.

"What the fuck?"

"Good morning, Bryan," Sarah spoke calmly, from where she now perched on the edge of her vanity unit.

"Sarah? What the -? What the hell did you go do that for?"

"I think I should be asking you the same thing," she replied, nodding in the direction of the woman beside him, now awake and looking very nervous. "Who's the whore, Bry?"

"Baby, who is that?" the woman trembled quietly, moving closer to Bryan, as though using him as a shield. To Sarah's eyes, she was the quintessential 'blonde bimbo'; bleached blonde hair, perfectly manicured nails and chest that was almost definitely fake. She was the complete opposite of Sarah.

"I'm his wife, Barbie, so I'd make yourself scarce before this gets ugly and that expensive-looking nose of yours is on the other side of your face," Sarah looked at Bryan as she continued, "he's capable of that, believe me."

"Sarah," Bryan stood up out of the bed and approached her, her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of her dressing table. "Can't we talk about this like civilised adults?"

"We could, if you knew how Bryan," she replied as coolly as she could, standing up again. "I'll be in the kitchen, when you're ready to attempt it, _Baby_."

Back on her feet, she walked to the doorway where she paused with a hand on the doorframe and turned her head back towards Bryan, who looked like a deer in headlights.

"By the way, could you cover yourself up? I'm starting to feel sick over here."

Bryan's startled expression quickly morphed into an angry scowl but he picked up his boxers from the night before and pulled them on.

"Oh and Bry," she continued, in a sickly sweet voice, a fake smile plastered on her lips. "Ditch the bitch on your way down."

She didn't wait for his reply before she left the room, pulling the door closed behind her and then walking back along the landing towards the stairs. After descending to the ground floor of the house, she made her way through to the living room. Jareth followed her, not saying anything, but instead observing from a short distance behind. At some point during the course of that morning, he was almost certain since their arrival at the house, the fire he had been missing so much had flared and returned to her.

In the quiet seclusion of the living room, Sarah paced the carpet in front of the plush sofa for a few moments, wringing her hands together, then she turned to look up at the Goblin King, who was considering her behaviour with an air of curiosity.

"I need you to stay in here while I speak with Bryan," she said finally, biting her lip slightly. "I've just told him to get rid of his girlfriend, I don't want him thinking I did it so that I had the upper hand. I mean, I know it's not like anything has actually happened between us and I've just caught him with his bimbo in our bed, but-"

She trailed off from her hurried ramble, no longer sure about what she was doing.

"Sarah, you'll be fine," he gently took hold of her hands, stopping her from pacing and fidgeting. "I'll stay in here, but if you should need me…"

A slight smile graced her lips at the memory of her friends from the Labyrinth saying almost exactly the same thing to her years before. It had been before her final confrontation with the powerful fae now standing before her, but now he was standing before her as her ally rather than her enemy.

"I'll call," she smiled and raised herself on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek softly. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, now go on, I believe you told that disgusting husband of yours that you'd be in the kitchen, not in here with me."

She nodded, but hesitated slightly as she let go of his hands before leaving him alone and returning to the kitchen.

Knowing that Bryan would be a nightmare to handle without a suitable caffeine fix, especially considering the way she had woken him, Sarah set the coffee machine to brew a fresh pot and pulled a couple of clean mugs from the cupboard. The kitchen betrayed how little time Bryan had spent in it since she had left. The sink was piled with dirty mugs and the countertops were sprinkled with toast crumbs and a butter-knife still covered with peanut butter, no doubt from a rushed breakfast in her absence. It didn't surprise her; the only two things Bryan could make without burning the place down were coffee and toast, unless it came ready-prepared in a plastic tray to be heated through in the microwave. She was sure that if she opened the refrigerator she would also find the remains of numerous takeaway meals.

The sound of the front door opening drifted through from the entrance hall, accompanied by the high pitched whines of Bryan's disappointed conquest, no doubt she'd been hoping for a repeat of whatever sexual antics they had engaged in the night before. Shaking her head slightly, Sarah continued to get things together for making coffee, looking up as she heard the front door close again and Bryan's footsteps as he approached. She fought the urge to bite her bottom lip as she saw him, her husband knew her nervous habits too well and she didn't want him to realise that her burst of confidence from earlier was quickly ebbing away.

"Coffee's brewing," she said simply.

"You're too kind Sarah. What would I do without you?" he replied, sarcasm dripping from his words as he seated himself at the breakfast bar. "Now, what was all that about upstairs?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow,

"You need it spelling out for you Bryan?"

"I think I deserve an explanation, if that's what you mean. You didn't need to bloody deafen me like that."

"Oh, I'm sorry, was I supposed to just leave you and your girlfriend to sleep in _our_ bed?"

Bryan considered Sarah, there was something different about his wife and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"You've changed, Sar. What's happened to you?"

"Nothing," she replied, looking down as she spooned sugar into one of the mugs.

"Oh, come on Sarah. You disappear for nearly a week and then come in unannounced and scream at me-"

"You were in our bed with another woman, Bryan!" she shot at him, her eyes blazing with pent up rage.

"And you're telling me that you haven't been off screwing that Daddy's Boy from your office since you left?"

"We've been through this before, Bryan, he's _married_! Just as we are!" she averted her eyes again, her voice quieter as she finished. "Not that that seems to make any difference to you and your Barbie doll."

Bryan watched her with narrowed eyes.

"What happened to you Sarah? Where have you been?"

"Nothing has happened to me, except that I finally saw what a monster you can be," she replied. "I noticed your wedding ring is absent."

"And?"

"How long did it take you to take another woman to bed, Bryan? Did you have her waiting on the sidelines waiting for me to be gone?"

"Sarah, I-"

She looked back at him, her eyes glistening slightly.

"What Bryan? What? Are you sorry? Because I'll tell you something; I'm not."

"What?"

She smiled slightly at the look of shock on her husband's face,

"You've made things so easy for me."

"How do you mean?" he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Adultery as well as abuse, getting a divorce is going to be a piece of cake," her eyes flashed. Something had definitely changed her. "By the way, who did Barbie think my shoes and jackets and things belonged to?" she continued, going to the refrigerator to look for milk. "It's not like you tried very hard to hide them."

Bryan said nothing, watching as Sarah pulled out an opened carton and checked its contents.

"Come on, Bry. Who did you tell her lived here? Your sister? Or just some other random woman you let the spare room to?" she pushed on, moving back to stand opposite him, the breakfast bar acting as a barrier between them.

"What's wrong with you? Where have you been Sarah?" he finally demanded. "I came home and you were just gone. No note, nothing!"

"You expected me to leave you a nice little note telling you where I was so that you could come find me and have another go at me for something that I hadn't done? So that you could come and try to drag me back to-"

"I'm your husband Sarah!" he slammed his hands on the breakfast bar, cutting her off. His eyes were darkening, he was getting really angry now.

"Funny how you only remember that when it suits you," she replied quietly.

"Where have you been?" he demanded again, now on his feet and pacing around the breakfast bar towards her.

"Staying with a friend," she answered, somewhat vaguely.

"What friend?" he spat, now only a few feet from where Sarah stood.

"Just a friend," she avoided his gaze, no longer feeling any of the confidence she had experienced earlier.

"You haven't got any friends, Sarah! You've only got me!"

"And you did all you could to make it that way, didn't you?" she shot back at him.

"You _were_ with him, weren't you?" he accused before clarifying, "That Daddy's Boy from the party."

"No, I was not with him."

"Don't lie to me Sarah!"

"I'm not!"

"You know what happens when you lie to me," he warned, stepping closer to her, causing her to take a step back. Her body hit the cool wooden door of the tallest cupboard in the room and she fought not to whimper in fear as his hand found her throat, holding her face so that she was forced to look at him.

"Bryan, don't do this. Please just stop it," she was begging him, her hands splayed flat against the cabinet door as she tried to back up even more.

"Not until you tell me the truth, you little bitch!"

He was right up against her now and his robe had fallen open. Sarah could feel rather than see his arousal and she began to feel sick. She closed her eyes; terrified tears escaped from the corners and trickled down her pale cheeks, dropping onto Bryan's hand where it still held her neck.

He was going to do it again and she was too weak to stop him.


	8. Chapter 8

Sarah tried to remember to breathe as she felt the hard evidence of Bryan's arousal press uncomfortably against her stomach, but she was so overcome with terror at the thought of what he might do to her, that her usually clear mind was addled beyond comprehension. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks as he waited for him to make his next move, for him to punish her for running away and then returning to chase away his latest conquest. She waited to feel the strength of his anger and his revenge crush down upon her. Before she could think clearly enough to remember that Jareth was awaiting her summons, let alone take breath to shout his name, Sarah felt Bryan's weight removed from her and heard his shout of surprise. Her eyes snapped open in shock and she gasped for breath she had been denied. It took a few moments before her brain caught up with her eyes and made sense of what she was looking at. Jareth had Bryan pinned up against the opposite wall, his hand so tight around the mortal's throat that Sarah could swear he was already turning blue from lack of air.

"Jareth, no!"

Sarah hurried over to where her husband was being held and tried desperately to remove the Goblin King's hand from his airway.

"Let him go," she pleaded. She was relieved and grateful that Jareth had stepped in and that Bryan was no longer crushing her with his weight, but she'd be damned if she was going to let him kill her husband right there in front of her.

"Sarah, he was going to-"

"I'm perfectly aware of what he was about to do!" she cried, still trying in vain to budge his hold. "But you said so yourself, killing my vile husband is not the answer. Now let him go!" she looked up at him, his dazzling mis-matched eyes looked murderous as he gazed upon the mortal in his grasp. Her voice softened slightly as she begged him quietly, "Jareth, please."

He considered her for a moment, his eyes softening as he looked back into her desperate ones. He finally released his hold on Bryan, who spluttered and stumbled away from them, trying to regain his breath. Sarah kept her eyes on Jareth's just a moment longer,

"Thank you," she whispered, so only the two of them could hear, then turned from him and made her way to the coffee machine that had just finished brewing.

"What the- Who the hell is this guy?" Bryan finally spoke, coughing slightly and still rubbing his neck where Jareth had held him.

"This is Jareth," Sarah replied, not looking up from the mug of coffee that she was preparing, a few silent tears still rolling down her pale cheeks. "He's the friend I've been staying with."

"Nice friend," Bryan muttered, looking at the man who had pulled him off Sarah and then proceeded to almost choke him to death.

"He's not the sort you'd want to get on the wrong side of," Sarah stated calmly before sliding the mug across the breakfast bar to Bryan and then turning to pour another one for herself.

"Perhaps it has given you an idea of what you've been putting your wife through for the last few years," Jareth growled threateningly.

Sarah didn't bother to say anything, her attention fixed on her coffee. Bryan looked over at her and then to Jareth.

"What do you know?"

"More than you could ever imagine," Jareth replied, his voice dangerous.

"Jareth, stop it," Sarah begged quietly.

"Sarah-" he began to argue.

"No, Jareth. I mean it. I've had enough," her voice and the look in her eyes as she finally looked back at him betrayed how tired she felt and he realised that she had not yet fully recovered from her ordeal of escaping this place the first time. She still needed time to heal.

"I'm sorry," he apologised sincerely, longing to take her in his arms, kiss away her tears and take her back to the Underground. She shook her head slightly, gently stopping him as he moved to put a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"Don't apologise, just don't do it again," she watched him over the rim of her mug as she sipped her drink. "Would you like some coffee?"

"No, thank you."

"Okay, well I'm going to go and start packing my things and you're coming with me," she said, taking hold of his hand. "I'm not leaving the two of you to kill one another."

Keeping hold of her coffee mug in her other hand, Sarah left the kitchen, Jareth following closely behind. Bryan watched the two of them as they left, but remained at the breakfast bar, nursing his own mug and his aching neck.

Once back in the master bedroom, Sarah pulled an empty suitcase from the back of her closet and opened it up on the bed, which remained unmade. Jareth watched from the doorway as she began to fold and pack her clothes into the case. After a few minutes of silence, Sarah looked up from what she was doing and across the room to where he was still leaning against the doorframe.

"You might as well sit down and make yourself comfortable," she indicated the side of the bed that wasn't taken up by her case or the clothes waiting to be packed. "This is going to take a while."

"Is there anything I can do to help move things along more quickly?" he offered, stepping further into the room.

Sarah shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I need to sort things as I pack. It'll be easier if I just do it myself."

"If you insist," Jareth nodded slightly and took a seat on the end of the bed, still watching her.

Sarah continued to pack her clothes into the case, keeping her eyes down.

"Thank you for saving me, again."

"You have no need to thank me, Precious," Jareth insisted, ignoring the look she gave him at the use of the endearment. "I could not allow him to harm you again."

A weak smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but her brows quickly furrowed in thought.

"How did you know to come before I called?"

Jareth quirked an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Do you honestly need to ask that, Sarah?"

"No," she admitted, shaking her head. "You were watching me, like every time before."

"The difference this time being that I could actually step in to do something."

"Which I am very grateful for."

"As am I. However, I am curious as to why you stopped me from harming the despicable mortal any further."

Sarah stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, pausing as she considered her answer.

"Because I didn't want to be a witness to murder, nor did I want it to hang over the two of us."

"Killing him would have been merciful, he should be made to suffer for everything he has put you through."

"Yeah, well, I don't care how much he does or does not suffer. I just want to get away from him and not have to explain to his parents why he was found dead in our kitchen."

She moved to her closet to pull out more of her clothes before laying them on the bed to be folded and packed with the rest.

"We could be long gone before anyone found him."

"I think that constitutes running away. And besides, it'd lead to too many questions for my family. I couldn't do that to them," she hugged a sweater to her chest, playing with a loose thread. She smiled slightly after a few moments as she added, "Well, maybe I could do it to Karen."

"She deserves worse."

Sarah laughed softly.

"I'm not going to disagree."

She continued to fold her clothes into the open case in front of her, while Jareth conjured a crystal and began juggling it between his hands, ignoring her disapproving look at his casual use of magic with Bryan under the same roof. She finished packing the first case with her clothes then struggled to close it.

"Could you go into the next room and get the black suitcase out from under the bed, please?" she requested, looking up at Jareth as he watched her.

"Anything you want, Precious," he stood from the bed and, with a subtle flick of his wrist, simultaneously vanished the crystal from his fingers and finished closing the case that Sarah was still struggling with. She narrowed her eyes in his direction, though there was no honest displeasure evident in them. He grinned cockily in response and kissed her forehead softly before acquiescing to her request and leaving to collect the other suitcase from the guest bedroom.

The following few hours saw Sarah pack away most of her belongings into boxes and bags and load them into the car along with the two suitcases filled almost to the point of overflowing with her clothes. She was sure that she wouldn't be needing them when she returned to the Underground with Jareth, but she didn't want to leave any of her personal belongings in the house, not if she could help it. The few things that she decided against packing were the things that she and Bryan had bought together or that he had given her over the years. She didn't want any more reminders of him haunting her. He had already begun to interfere with her dreams and she wanted every memory of him erased from her life.

It was early evening by the time Bryan finally approached his wife again, having kept his distance since Jareth's attempt to suffocate him over breakfast. There was no evidence of his previous rage, in fact he almost appeared timid, as he walked from the house towards Sarah's car, where she was loading up the last few boxes of her belongings.

"You don't have to do this Sar," he said, almost hopefully, as he stopped a short distance from her, leaning against the side of her vehicle. "We can work this out."

"No we can't Bryan," she shook her head, not bothering to look at him, focussing instead on the box she was trying to lodge in with the others.

"I still love you."

"You don't use someone you love as a punchbag," she sighed. "And you can't love someone if you don't trust them."

She turned to him, taking the final box from him that he had picked up from beside her feet.

"I think you did love me once, Bryan. And I loved you back, but I can't love someone who doesn't respect me and who treats me like a possession."

"I _do_ respect you, Sarah."

"No you don't Bryan," she shook her head. "You don't even respect yourself."

"And does he?"

"Who?"

"That Jared guy."

"Jareth," she corrected him and although she knew the answer, she asked, "Does he what?"

"Does he respect you?"

"Yes," she nodded. "He does."

"And do you love him?"

She ran an exasperated hand through her hair as she looked at him.

"Bryan, don't do this to yourself."

"Do what?"

"Torture yourself."

"Why not? Surely it's the least I deserve."

"I'm not doing this," she replied, closing the car door firmly. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before turning her attention fully onto her husband. "Look, Bryan, we had fun for a while, we got married and created our perfect little existence out here, but then...well, I'm not entirely sure how or when or why it started to go wrong, but it did and I'm getting out before I can't come back from whatever hell I end up in. I loved you. I honestly did. I mean, before we even got here this morning I was thinking about… Oh it doesn't matter. This just isn't working anymore and me staying won't do either of us any good. I'm through with pretending, Bryan. So, just do us both a favour and sign the divorce papers when they come through. I don't want anything from you except for you to let me go so I can go and find my 'Happily Ever After'."

Neither of them said or did anything for a few moments, then Sarah removed the two white gold bands from her left hand and placed them in Bryan's, curling his fingers around them.

"Thank you for loving me, once upon a time," she kissed his cheek softly then began to make her way back into the house to find Jareth so that they could leave.

"Y'know fairytale endings don't exist in real life Sarah," Bryan called out after her causing her to pause and look back at him.

"Maybe not," she replied. "But I'll take my chances on my dreams away from this nightmare."

The house looked strange to her as she stepped over the threshold, her shoes no longer scattered around on the floor, her bags and jackets no longer hanging from the coat-stand. She walked through the doorway to her left and cast an eye around the room, the bookcases around the walls now lacked purpose, without her books filling their shelves to the point of bowing beneath their weight.

Jareth was standing by the large bay window, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked out over the front garden and driveway where she had been a few moments before. He had been watching her, but he didn't look at her now. Instead, he kept his eyes on the mortal man who remained outside.

"You showed him a remarkable amount of mercy, considering what he put you through, Precious," he stated, the familiar regal edge to his voice evident.

"No-one is all bad Jareth, not even him," she walked over to his side and looked out towards her husband. Despite everything he had ever done to her she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. "And I did love him. Once."

She watched for a few moments more then looked up at the fae beside her, her hand finding his.

"Come on, we should be getting back. It's going to take longer than getting here."

He looked down at her and then at their hands and back up to her face.

"Are you alright Sarah?"

She nodded,

"I'm fine. Nothing a bottle of wine and a tub of Ben & Jerry's finest won't fix."

She smiled at his confused expression.

"You'll see, Goblin King."

Letting go of his hand, she departed the room again. Bryan stood in the entrance hall, having returned from outside, he looked smaller and more helpless than Sarah had ever seen him. Jareth walked up behind Sarah and rested a supportive hand on her shoulder, this time, however, she did nothing to stop him.

"I guess this is goodbye then," Bryan finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Yeah, this is goodbye," she nodded.

"Well, I hope you find happiness again, Sarah."

"You too Bryan."

"I'm sure you'll find someone who can make your dreams come true."

She smiled slightly.

"I'm sure he's out there somewhere."

She felt Jareth's hand twitch slightly at that and felt the gentle tug of a smile at the corners of her mouth.

"Goodbye Sarah," Bryan gently took her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it softly.

"Goodbye Bryan," she replied softly as she carefully removed her hand from his grasp and made her way out to her car, Jareth following closely behind.

Sarah didn't look back as she walked to her car and unlocked it, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She climbed into the driver's seat and belted herself in before ensuring that Jareth was properly restrained in the passenger seat beside her. Not a word passed between them as she pulled away from the house and drove them out onto the main road and back towards her father's house.

Jareth watched her as she drove, her eyes fixed straight ahead of her on the road, only deviating every now and then as she checked her mirrors or her blindspot. She never looked at him.

"Sarah," he broke the silence tentatively, unsure of how she would react. He was worried about doing or saying something that might cause her to become distracted from her task, their mode of transportation was making him nervous enough.

"Yes, Jareth?" she queried, her eyes still fixed ahead of her.

"Are you-?

"I'm fine," she cut him off, knowing what he was about to ask.

"It's perfectly acceptable if-"

"I said, I'm fine," she insisted.

As silence fell upon them again she reached over to turn the radio on. Jareth sighed and looked out of the windscreen, straight ahead of them. He wondered how much longer it would take for them to reach her father's house and how much more of her defensive behaviour he would have to endure before she admitted how she was truly feeling.

It was late when they finally reached the house they had left earlier that morning, Toby was already tucked up and fast asleep in his bed and Karen was soaking in the bath. Sarah had stopped off on the return journey to pick up food as neither she nor Jareth had eaten since breakfast. She had also picked up a bottle of wine, in the hope that it would help her to forget her encounter with Bryan, or at least ease the pain he had caused her.

She picked up the bags of takeaway, wine and ice-cream from the car and quietly let them into the house, making her way immediately to the kitchen where she placed the bags on the table. Jareth followed her, watching as she rummaged in drawers for cutlery and a bottle opener.

At the sound of their return, Sarah's father came through from the living room, where he had been watching the television as he waited up for them. He watched his daughter as she pulled cartons of chinese food from one of the bags and then proceeded to open a bottle of chilled wine.

"Should I assume that you saw Bryan?" he asked, stopping beside Jareth, who looked around at him, slightly startled by the man's sudden appearance.

"How did you know?" the Goblin King asked, curious.

"I know my daughter," Robert answered simply.

Sarah still didn't acknowledge either of the males, who stood watching her as she opened the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass before proceeding to practically down it in one swift gulp.

"Do you really think that is a good idea, Princess?" Robert enquired gently.

"Yes, I really do," Sarah replied, as she topped up her glass.

"Sarah," her father spoke again, this time with warning in his voice.

"What?" she finally rounded on him, putting the glass on the table, everything she had been fighting on the drive home finally coming to a head and exploding from her. "Dad, I've just been and faced the man who has made my life hell for the last three years. I found him, in our bed, with another woman this morning and then he had the gall to tell me that he still loves me and that I didn't 'have to do this' and that we could 'work this out'." She trembled as she let her emotions flood from her. "Then, even after everything he put me through, I stopped Jareth from strangling him, not to mention I refused to let him torture himself over the fact I love someone else, even though I do, and, god help me, I defended him and said he wasn't all bad. So, please forgive me, if I feel like drinking an entire bottle of wine in an attempt to forget that I was once happy with him and actually loved him even though he made my life hell!"

Tears streamed down her face as she finished and she took another gulp of wine before she allowed her father to wrap his arms around her and hold her close.

"Oh, Sweetheart, I know it's not easy when things fall apart. Just look at me and your mother," he stroked her hair gently, listening as her breathing calmed.

"Hardly the same situation, Daddy," she replied quietly. "I don't have a child to think about and neither you nor Mom used the other as a punchbag."

"You could say that you have it easier. You can just walk away without another thought."

"I suppose," she straightened up and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. "However, I still intend to drink my way through that bottle of wine and eat chinese and ice-cream until I can't eat any more."

"You'll make yourself sick, Sarah," her father warned, gently stroking stray wisps of her hair off her face.

She shrugged,

"That's a chance I'm just going to have to take."

Robert sighed and shook his head before turning to Jareth,

"Perhaps you should try talking some sense into her, she might listen to you."

"I highly doubt it. Sarah can be very stubborn when she wants to be."

"You noticed?" Robert smiled slightly then turned back to his daughter, placing a gentle kiss against her forehead. "Goodnight Sweetheart."

"Goodnight Daddy."

"Goodnight Jareth."

"Goodnight Mr. Williams."

"Robert, please," he smiled up at the man who so clearly adored his daughter, clapping him on the shoulder. "I'll see the two of you in the morning."

With that, he left the two of them alone in the kitchen. Sarah watched her father leave and then turned her attention to Jareth, who looked straight back at her, his eyes filled with confused concern. She walked around the table between them and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry," she apologised quietly into his chest as she held onto him tightly.

"You have nothing to apologise for, Precious," he replied as he stroked her hair and down her back soothingly. "You've been so strong for such a very long time, it was bound to catch up with you sooner or later."

She laughed slightly,

"I wouldn't count wishing myself away in a thunderstorm strong."

"Coming back to face everything you wished yourself away from was. You could have just stayed in the Underground forever and not looked back."

She looked up at him, those beautiful mismatched orbs looking back at her,

"You'd have gotten bored of having me around."

"Impossible, Precious."

"Forever is a long time to have to cope with me."

"It's not long at all."

She smiled slightly and moved her arms so that they were around his neck and stretched herself up on her toes to kiss him softly on the lips, silently begging him to respond to her and help her to forget the day's events. She wanted to lose herself in him. She wanted to move on. He quickly acquiesced to her unspoken to request and kissed her back, pulling her closer to him. As she felt him respond, Sarah deepened the kiss, her fingers running up into his hair as she held him to her.

When they finally parted, she touched her forehead to his, her eyes still closed as she caught her breath. Her heart was racing in her chest and something ached within her for more. She dared not let go, for fear she might find herself to be dreaming.

"Jareth?" she finally broke the silence, though her voice was still quiet.

"Yes, Precious?"

"Is this a dream?"

He smiled and gently kissed her forehead before responding,

"No, Precious. This is not a dream."

"Good."

She moved her arms back around his waist and settled herself in his warm embrace.

"I'm tired of only seeing you like this in my dreams."

"I could give you your dreams, Sarah," he offered, conjuring a crystal in his hand and holding it out for her. "I could give you everything you ever wished for."

Sarah looked at the crystal then looked up at Jareth.

"All I ever dream of is the king currently holding me in his arms."

"And all this king dreams of is the queen holding him in hers," he replied, gently stroking her hair back behind her ear with his free hand. "Your dreams are what drew us together Sarah."

"I thought it was a little red book and a careless wish."

"You are a dreamer, Sarah."

"Anyone could have told you that," she smiled. "I've just been waiting for them to become a reality."

"Then take them. Let this King of Dreams fulfil your heart's deepest desires."

"And what might this King of Dreams expect in return? Will he expect me to fear him, love him and do as he says?" She looked up at him. Part of her was teasing him, but the third finger on her left hand was still marked by the indentations left by her wedding bands and the memories of her first marriage. "Because I've already lived life that way and it doesn't work for me."

"Just love me," he requested, stroking her cheek gently. "Love me as my queen and rule over my kingdom at my side."

"Would that make this dreamer a Queen of Goblins or a Queen of Dreams?"

"Queen of My Heart and everything that I am a king of."

"Not even I would have ever dreamed of that."

She smiled and kissed him again gently.

"So, what do you say, Precious?" he muttered as they parted again. "Will you come and live in the Underground with me and be my queen?"

"Why not?" she teased. "It's only forever, it's not long at all."

**The End**

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> So, that's the end of that.

I got to a point when I just couldn't re-read this any more because I'd start missing things, so if there are any stray mistakes in there I apologise! One day I may come back to this, completely re-draft it and post it all for you to enjoy all over again, but that won't be for a while yet.

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this. It really has meant a lot to me to know that people have enjoyed my writing. Now, I had hoped to have made a better start on the sequel by the time I finished posting this, however I am still struggling away with it and so you are just going to have to wait.

On the up side, I also have another unrelated Labyrinth fic in the works and I will quite possibly have a few one-shots to post and keep you going until I figure out exactly how things work out after this - there are some plot bunnies loose around here somewhere.

I'd love to know which parts of the story you particularly liked or disliked (I know which are my favourite bits) and what you would like to see more or less of. It is currently my intention to keep Toby involved in the sequel in some way, however I'm not sure to what extent yet.

Love to you all, your support makes me a very happy bunny indeed.

GlitteringAngel x

P.S. Standard disclaimers apply. I do not own Labyrinth in any way shape or form. Anything you recognise in my writing belongs to someone else.


	9. Epilogue

**A/N:** _So, all of you who have been waiting for something more from this have got Princess of the Fae to thank for inspiring me to write an epilogue. I'm using this as a bridge between this and the sequel (I promise you that I am writing it, it just isn't flowing half as well as the rest of this story did, so__ please forgive me for not getting anything up yet). I wanted the sequel to take place in the Underground, but I'd scribbled down the exchange between Sarah and Toby and I like it even though it didn't quite fit with my intentions. So, it has ended up in here._

_Thank you again to all of my lovely readers and reviewers. There's a brief bit of steamy Jareth & Sarah in this to show my appreciation and to make up for offending your senses with Sarah & Bryan's kitchen smut._

_Enjoy._

_GlitteringAngel x_

_P.S. If anyone has any ideas/requests for things that they'd like me to write (either one-offs or to work into the sequel), please feel free to PM me and I'll see what I can do for you.  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

Sarah sat at the kitchen table of her father's house with a large brown envelope in her hands. It had been months since she had fled from the house that now held so many bad memories for her and she had wished herself away to the goblins. She had been saved from the freezing storm and her living nightmare by their king, a fearsome creature of immense power whom she had once considered her adversary and now considered her closest ally.

She could't help the smile that tugged at her lips as she pulled the certificate from within the envelope and examined it carefully. She was finally free of the man who had turned her life into a nightmare and to instead marry the man who had offered her everything she had ever dreamed of. The certificate in her hands marked an end to her suffering and provided her with the closure she had craved so desperately. Her fingers delicately followed the path of her gaze, tracing the writing across the top of the parchment in her grasp: _Decree Absolute_.

It was over.

Reaching up, she wrapped her fingers around the ring that she wore on a chain around her neck. It was a stunning white and yellow-gold band, encrusted with diamonds and sapphires. The way it caught the light reminded her of stars glimmering in the night sky and the way her love's eyes sparkled as he looked upon her. Jareth had given the ring to her following their return to the Underground, as a sign of his intentions towards her. It wasn't Underground tradition to present one's intended with a ring, but he had done it as a tribute to her Aboveground upbringing, and she appreciated the gesture greatly. Finally, with her first marriage officially declared void, she felt able to move on with her life and she eagerly looked forward to beginning the next chapter with the magical fae king who had stolen her heart.

Later that afternoon, standing outside the gates surrounding the old brick building of the school she had attended as a girl, Sarah waited for her half-brother to come out with the rest of his classmates. As the bell rang out to signal the end of the day, the main doors swung open to allow a stream of pupils out from their day of dreary lessons. She waved as she saw Toby approach in amongst his friends and smiled as she saw the wide grin that spread out over his face when he acknowledged her presence.

The youngster parted from his friends and made his way to meet his sister, a little surprised and yet exceptionally pleased to see her presence at the school gates.

"Hey Tobes," Sarah beamed down at the boy and ruffled his hair affectionately as he went to give her a hug.

"Sar!" he whined, as he instead fought to stop her from messing up his coif. "You're worse than Mom!"

"Oh, you did not just compare me to your mother, Toby Williams," she chastised, though she still grinned, giving his shoulder a gentle shove. "I think I might just take you straight home for that instead of taking you for pizza."

It was an empty threat and they both knew it. Sarah had spent every visit since his birthday spoiling him; buying him presents and taking him out to eat for no real reason. She had been trying to ease the guilt that had nagged at her over not seeing as much of him as she could have since leaving for college and then marrying Bryan, however she knew that no amount of presents or days out would make up for years of absence. She hoped that her moving to the Underground would not present the same problem.

"You wouldn't do that," Toby grinned up at his sister.

"No, you're right, Tobes, I wouldn't," Sarah admitted, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and walking with him to her car.

As she drove them into town, the two discussed Toby's day at school and what she had been up to since they had last seen one another. Her description of her time in the Underground was as close to the truth as she dare make it since she still had to admit the truth about the mystical land she had been residing in since her split from her ex-husband.

A short while later the two of them sat in a quiet corner of Sarah's favourite Italian restaurant, waiting for their meals to arrive. Toby slurped his thick strawberry milkshake happily before looking straight across at her, an enquiring look on his face.

"How come Jareth's not here?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him and being well aware that this was the first time he had seen his sister without Jareth since the two of them had turned up together at his eleventh birthday party.

"I wanted some time alone with my baby brother and he had a few things he needed to sort out," Sarah explained, swirling a straw around in her own thick shake, "is that alright?"

"Yeah," Toby shrugged and continued to slurp his drink.

Sarah watched him for a few moments.

"Tobes, what do you think of Jareth?"

Toby looked up, puzzled.

"He seems cool, a bit poncey sometimes, but he's okay. Why?"

"I was just curious, that's all," she shrugged and looked down at her drink, not saying anything for a few moments. "Do you like him more than you liked Bryan?" she finally asked, internally desperate for her brother to respond in the affirmative.

"I never liked Bryan, Sar," Toby responded firmly. "He was a jerk. And he hurt you."

"Yeah, I know," Sarah agreed, "but he didn't always hurt me."

She didn't know why she still defended Bryan to her brother, or anyone else for that matter. Perhaps it was to ease the feeling that she might have been a fool to even consider getting involved with him and been even more foolish to have fallen in love and marry him.

"I still never liked him," Toby insisted. "Why do you care what I think of Jareth anyways?"

Sarah shook her head.

"It doesn't matter Tobes."

Silence fell over the siblings for a few moments, both looking into their drinks, before Toby spoke again.

"Do you love him?"

"What?"

Sarah looked up and across the table, a slight blush rising in her cheeks at her brother's question.

"I said, do you love him?" Toby repeated the question. "I mean, I kinda figured that you liked him or you wouldn't have acted like you did with him at my party and I haven't seen you without him since, not until now. And I know _he_ likes _you_ because of the way he is with you and how he's stuck by you and let you stay with him through all that stuff with Bryan. You don't do that unless you like someone."

"He's just a friend, Toby," she lied, averting her eyes to her milkshake once more.

"Yeah, right Sar. I'm eleven, I'm not stupid."

"What's that supposed to mean, smart-ass?" she asked, looking back at him.

"I mean, I can tell that you two are more than friends," he explained, dropping his straw and looking straight at Sarah. "Or at least you'd like to be," he added, unsure of exactly where his sister and her new 'friend' stood. "You only have to watch the two of you when you're together to see that you've got feelings for one another."

"You watch too much TV," Sarah replied, shaking her head slightly.

"You're not denying it," Toby grinned.

"Would there be any point?"

"No."

Sarah sighed, but still smiled,

"When did my baby brother get so insightful?"

Toby shrugged and watched Sarah over the top of his glass.

"I dunno, but I'm not a baby. Are you going to answer my question?"

"What question?"

"Do you love Jareth?"

Sarah paused for a moment, her fingers still playing with her straw.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah, I love him Tobes."

"In that case, he'd better not hurt you or I'll have to hurt him."

Sarah laughed slightly.

"Thanks, Tobes. I'm sure he won't."

A few days later, as the late afternoon sun beat down upon the Underground's inhabitants, the Goblin King stood in the doorway of his future-queen's bedchamber and admired the view that greeted him. His bride-to-be stood before her full-length mirror putting the finishing touches to her evening attire; her hair cascaded down her back in soft chocolate brown curls and her eyes gleamed as the determined rays of sunlight caught them. She wore an elegant strapless dress that fell until it almost touched the floor even as she stood in high-heeled sandals, it was black with emerald beading on the corset-style top and it hugged her figure perfectly. He was also wearing an outfit that would not look out of place in her homeworld; tight black jeans, over his usual boots, accompanied by a deep maroon shirt and a black blazer.

They would soon be returning Aboveground to visit her family and announce their engagement to them. Sarah would also reveal Jareth's true identity and the reality of where she had been living since her separation from her first husband. Tonight everything would be laid out and they could begin the next chapter of their lives in earnest.

"Still watching me from a distance?" Sarah teased as she caught sight of her fiancé in the mirror. "Such a pity."

She grinned as her words echoed his own, then shifted her gaze for a moment as she reached out to pick up a bracelet from her vanity unit beside her, squeaking in shock as she suddenly felt strong arms around her waist.

"Must you do that?" she enquired, narrowing her eyes as she turned on the spot and came face-to-face with her admirer.

"Do what, Precious?" Jareth asked in mock innocence, gently caressing her cheek with the back of a slender finger.

"You know exactly what, Goblin King," she replied, trying to keep her eyes narrowed on him, but finding it increasingly difficult to stand her ground with him holding her so close.

"I am sure you are mistaken, my dear," he purred, as he began to nuzzle her neck gently.

"I am sure it is you who are mistaken, my love," she insisted, tilting her neck to one side slightly as he began to nip at her skin. She held her lower lip between her teeth and closed her eyes as she allowed herself to enjoy the feel of his skin against hers. It took her a few moments to come to her senses again and attempt to straighten herself in his grasp. "Damn you, Jareth," she cursed quietly as she felt the pressure increase against her neck. "I would prefer not to go to dinner looking like I've been attacked by a vampire, thank you very much."

"Oh, Precious, you wound me," he murmured in mock hurt. "I am far more gentle a lover than any vampire who might swoop down on your beautiful neck."

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean, Jareth," she groaned. "I would rather not give my delightful step-mother any more reason to pick at me and the way I have chosen to live my life." She rested her hands against his chest and lowered her gaze to the ring, now in its rightful place, on her left hand. "I'm sure she's somehow still convinced that Bryan is 'a nice boy' and that my divorcing him was a mistake. She'd love any reason she could find to insist that you are wrong for me."

"And what, might I ask, could possibly be wrong with a king?"

"Besides arrogance and an overwhelming ability to distract?" she mused, an eyebrow raised as she pretended to consider him.

"I would regard neither of those traits as a flaw, Precious."

"That depends on the situation. The latter is likely to make us late for dinner," she pointed out before kissing him on the lips and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I am not sure that _I_ can be blamed for that," he murmured between kisses, his hands at the small of her back, as he held her close against him.

"You're the distraction. Of course you can," she grinned and continued to kiss him.

"Well, if I am to be blamed, then I think we should at least make it worth my while."

Sarah giggled and before she knew what had happened, she felt a soft mattress at her back and Jareth's warm weight upon her as he continued to kiss and nip at the delicate skin of her neck and collar. His hands traced the curve of her breasts through the material of the dress that she still wore and she couldn't help the soft moan that escaped her lips at his gentle caress. She could already feel the evidence of his arousal pushing against her thigh and she ran her foot up the back of his leg, arching her body into his, suddenly desperate to have him inside of her right then and there despite their dinner plans.

Her hands quickly moved down his sides and to the waistband of his sinfully tight jeans, the fastening of which her fingers made swift work of before she pushed them down towards his ankles. She could feel him moan against her skin and grinned to herself as she ran her slender fingers along the length of his throbbing manhood, teasing him with her delicate touch. He, in turn, moved his kisses down towards the valley between of her breasts, his hold on her hips tightening as he tried to control himself beneath her taunting caresses.

With no intention of playing to Sarah's rules and well aware that they should have left the castle by that point in time, he magically removed her dress, allowing him access to the skin that it hid from his appreciative eyes and touch. Sarah gasped slightly in shock, but found herself incapable of complaint as Jareth landed a passionate kiss against her lips, demanding a response from her. Obliging, Sarah ran her hands back up into his hair, her grip intensifying as his fingers began to tease her between her legs. Breaking the kiss to gasp for air, Sarah thrust her hips towards his hands, encouraging his ministrations. She moaned as his fingers intensified their teasing, her neck arching as she threw her head back against the pile of pillows.

After a few more minutes of intense, torturous pleasure, Sarah caught her breath enough to speak.

"Jareth, please," she begged, her voice rasping. "We haven't got-"

She was about to finish with 'time', but with a carefully executed caress of his lean fingers, Jareth caused a spasm of pleasure to flow through her body, leaving her almost incapable of logical thought. Had she been able to, she would have cursed him for making them even later than they already were, but her brain was too addled to cope with such considerations. The only thought on her mind was having the Goblin King inside of her before she exploded with anticipation, but even that request seemed beyond her at that moment in time.

"Jareth," she moaned as she struggled to regain her senses, her grip on him strengthening somewhat. "I need you," she finally managed. "I need you now."

Grinning, a toothy triumphant grin, the Goblin King kissed her passionately as he changed his position and entered her in one smooth movement, an action which caused her to tighten her hold on his shoulders and her perfectly manicured nails dug into his pale skin. He hissed slightly at the combination of pleasure as he entered her with the sharp pain of her nails in his back. Joined so intimately, they moved together in perfect unison and soon reached their release almost simultaneously, each crying out the other's name as they were pushed to heights of pleasure beyond description.

"I love you," Sarah muttered breathlessly as she lay in his arms a few moments later, her hair spread out over his shoulder and the pillow supporting it.

"And I you, Precious," he responded, placing a tender kiss against her temple, even less inclined to transport them to the Aboveground than before.

Some time later, though Sarah was unsure of exactly how long that time was, the two of them stood on the threshold of her childhood home, waiting for someone to answer the door. Their appearance was as immaculate as before their passionate interlude, thanks to a touch of Jareth's magic, though she still felt a little flushed. Jareth was back in his glamoured form, something Sarah had promised to allow him to rectify following dinner when she would finally explain everything to her family.

"Not long now," she insisted gently, sensing his displeasure at his disguise and making a mental note to make it up to him as soon as they returned to the Underground.

"The sooner we are through with this façade the better," he grumbled quietly.

Sarah smiled slightly and turned to kiss his cheek softly.

"I am as anxious as you are to get you back in your regular attire, my king," she whispered softly and squeezed his hand before turning back to the front door as she heard the latch being pulled back from the other side.

"Sarah!" Toby grinned widely as he saw his sister.

"Who were you expecting?" Sarah smiled as she stepped inside, with Jareth behind her, and hugged her sibling.

Toby shrugged, hugging her back,

"I dunno. You never know who might turn up at our door."

"And yet you answer regardless," Sarah laughed. "Where are Dad and Karen?"

"I'm here, Sweetheart," Robert smiled, coming out into the entrance hall from the living room. "You're looking very lovely this evening."

Sarah blushed slightly at the compliment and let go of Toby to hug her father warmly in greeting.

"Thank you Daddy. I thought I should make an effort. It's a special occasion, after all."

"Well, we've all made an effort, but you look much better than I have seen you in a long time," Robert insisted.

"Divorce obviously agrees with me," she joked, though her eyes betrayed the pain it caused her. The mental wounds were still raw so soon after the dissolution of her marriage.

"Oh, Sweetheart," Robert kissed her forehead softly as he held his daughter close to him. "You have no idea how glad I am that Bryan is out of your life for good."

"I think I might have an inkling," Sarah replied, blinking furiously in an attempt to rid her eyes of tears, still holding onto her father tightly.

"I'm glad he can't hurt you any more Sarah," Toby piped up, trying to avoid his mother's fussing over his appearance. Karen had joined the group without a word and now fought with Toby who was batting her hands away as she moved to fasten the top button of the shirt he wore.

"I think we are all grateful of that," Jareth agreed, watching the young Williams boy with amusement.

"Indeed," Robert nodded, slowly easing his hold on Sarah, who straightened up and carefully wiped her eyes. "Are we all ready to go?"

"Almost," Sarah's step-mother replied, still battling with Toby.

"Just leave him be, Karen," Robert sighed as he watched his wife's fruitless attempts to tidy their son's appearance any further.

"You'll not win," Sarah agreed. "He looks better with the top button left open anyway. And he'll only open it again."

Karen sighed as she relented.

"Alright then, let's go before we are actually late."

The five of them departed the house, Karen in the lead, and piled into Robert's car. Sarah held Jareth's hand as they sat side by side in the back seat of the vehicle, Toby on her other side. She knew how nervous Aboveground methods of transportation made her future husband and she tried her best to put him at ease. Once they were all belted in securely, she settled her head on his shoulder and rested a hand on his leg, her fingers linked with his.

Once at the restaurant and settled at a table in a quiet corner, they enjoyed a pleasant meal together. Conversation mostly revolved around Toby's recent activities and schooling, as well as Robert's workload. Karen remained quiet for the most part, silently observing her step-daughter and the man beside her. Toby tried, on several occasions, to move conversation towards Sarah and Jareth, but Sarah steered it away with ease, focussing instead on her baby brother.

It was late when they left the restaurant, so late that there were only two other parties remaining and the staff were busy starting to close up around them. After finishing their coffees and desserts, the group retired to Robert's car for the return journey to the Williams' household. Sarah silently wished they could have had longer in the restaurant, or that the journey would be lengthier than usual, so as to allow her more time in which to order her thoughts. The time to reveal everything to the other three members of her family would soon be upon her and she felt far from ready.

As they arrived back at the house, Sarah followed her father and step-mother through to the living room, with Toby and Jareth behind her. Robert made his way across to the liquor cabinet and pulled out several glasses.

"Would anyone like a nightcap?" he offered, looking around at the other adults in the room.

"No thank you, Daddy," Sarah shook her head, her hand finding Jareth's as he stopped beside her. She looked up at him before turning back to her father, watching as he poured drinks for himself and Karen. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves before she spoke again. "Daddy, there's something we need to tell you all."

"What is it Sweetheart?" he enquired, looking up at his daughter and holding out a glass for his wife to take.

Sarah took another deep breath and tightened her hold on Jareth's hand. He squeezed back supportively.

"The truth," she stated.

"The truth about what?" Karen asked, not bothering to hide the suspicion in her voice.

"About Jareth," Sarah clarified. "And where I've been staying since I left Bryan."

"What are you talking about Sarah?" her father questioned, looking confused at her words.

"Jareth isn't who you think he is, or rather he's not exactly _what_ you think he is," Sarah corrected herself. "He's not…" she paused as she looked for the right way to explain. "He's not like you or I."

"Sarah, Sweetheart, you're making no sense," Robert said, his fingers wrapped around one of the glasses he had filled moments ago. "What are you trying to say?"

"I know I'm not making sense," Sarah sighed, trying to come up with a better way to explain then turned to Jareth, her eyes pleading with him as she made her next request. "Show them, Jareth."

"Are you certain?" he asked, studying her closely.

"Yes," she nodded and let go of his hand.

"As you wish," he acquiesced and with a slight incline of his head and a shower of glitter resumed his regular fae appearance.

Sarah took his hand once more and stood beside him, now dressed in his full Goblin King regalia, and waited to see the reactions of the three members of her family to the sudden change. Karen's mouth dropped open in shock and she blinked as though to clear her vision. Robert studied the man standing before him with some reservation. This was beyond anything he would have expected by way of an explanation for his daughter's strange words.

Toby stepped forward to examine his sister's fiancé more closely. There was something about him that suddenly felt familiar, like something out of a dream or a fairytale. The distinctive upsweep of his eyebrows, arching above dazzling eyes, and clothing that screamed of someone from another time or world. It took a few moments silent contemplation before it finally hit him and his eyes widened as he spoke,

"You're him, aren't you? You're the Goblin King."

Jareth nodded, smiling, amused by the echo of Sarah's words coming from her younger brother.

"I most certainly am, Master Toby."

Neither Robert nor Karen said anything. Neither of them knew what _to_ say. Toby looked up at Sarah, who looked surprised at his reaction to Jareth's change in appearance. She had told him many stories of the Underground when he was younger, but she had never been sure how much of it he had believed. Perhaps he hadn't believed any of it, until now.

"They were all true," he stated, his eyes fixed on hers. "All those stories you told me when I was younger, they were true."

"Some of them were," Sarah admitted, watching Toby as though she could see the connections being made in his mind. "Some of them were stories that my friends told me."

"What about the one about the girl who wished her brother away?"

Sarah nodded, an ashamed blush rising in her cheeks.

"That was all true."

"You wished me away?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Toby, of course she didn't," Karen chastised her son.

"He's not being ridiculous Karen. I _did_ wish him away," Sarah defended.

"Well, that may be so, but nothing-"

"And I ran Jareth's Labyrinth," Sarah continued, ignoring Karen. "I fought my way to his castle and won Toby back."

Karen looked as though she thought Sarah had gone insane. She was certainly struggling to believe what she was hearing.

"Sarah when did this happen?" her father finally spoke up, his voice curious rather than accusing.

"More importantly, why?" Karen shot, regaining her composure and narrowing her eyes on her step-daughter.

"I didn't _mean_ to," Sarah insisted to Karen, then turned her attention to her father as she explained, "but one night was just so fed up of Toby screaming while I was babysitting him and I just wished the goblins would take him away. I didn't think for one moment that they would actually take him."

"Sarah was incredibly adamant that she did not mean what she had said," Jareth interjected, before Karen could say anything else. "However her words were too powerful for them to be overlooked. Even when I offered her everything she had ever dreamed of, she insisted on running my Labyrinth to save the boy."

"Is this true Sarah?" Robert asked, unsure of exactly what to believe, but sure that there must be something to his daughter's story.

"Every word of it," she nodded then sighed. "I was fifteen, Dad. Mom had walked out on us, you and Karen had just got married and had Toby and I was fed up of it all. I know that none of that excuses what I did-"

"I'll say," Karen spat.

Sarah ignored her as she continued,

"But I can't regret it completely. If I hadn't have wished him away and won him back, then I don't think we would have become as close as we have. And I would never have met Jareth, I would never have had the ideas for my books and I would probably still be married to Bryan, or worse."

She looked up at the fae king standing over her, her hand still in his and his mesmerising eyes boring into her own.

"No-one has ever done as much to make me happy as he has," she finally said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. "He took Toby when I asked him to and took pity on me when I told him it was a mistake, he saved me from my living nightmare and allowed me to stay with him without a second thought. He has cared for me more than anyone else ever has and he has never asked for anything in return, except…"

"Except what, Sweetheart?" Robert enquired gently, watching as his daughter stood a few feet away looking up at the mysterious man who claimed to be a king of goblins.

"Except for me to love him," she finished. She smiled up at Jareth, who smiled back at her, his heart feeling lighter than he could remember it ever being. Turning back to her father, Sarah added, "And I do, with all my heart. Which is why we are to be married and I am going to rule at his side as his queen and I will do so gladly and willingly."

"And no finer queen could there be for my kingdom," Jareth insisted, causing her to look back at him. He raised her hand to his lips and kissing the back of it gently.

"I shall certainly try the best that I can," she smiled.

"And where exactly is this kingdom that you shall be living in?" Karen asked, rolling her eyes slightly at the display before her.

"The Underground," Toby answered before either Jareth or Sarah could, causing four pairs of eyes to fix on him in surprise as he explained. "It's a magical place, full of magical creatures and Jareth lives in the castle beyond the goblin city."

"You are not wrong, Master Toby," Jareth smiled at the young boy's explanation.

With a twist of his wrist, his conjured up a crystal and held it up for Robert and Karen to see. Inside was the familiar image that Sarah had looked upon from the wasteland on the outskirts of the Labyrinth; a vast overview of the innumerable twisting pathways that led to the castle at their centre. The castle she would, from now on, call her home.

"All these years, we thought you had just made it all up Sarah," Robert admitted as he looked at the crystal before him, then at his daughter. "We thought it was all your imagination."

"Less imagination and more dreams, I think," Sarah smiled slightly.

"Will I be able to come and visit?" Toby asked, eagerly bouncing on the balls of his feet and looking hopefully at Sarah. Sarah laughed and pulled him into a warm hug.

"We'll see what we can arrange, Toby," she smiled, her fingers ruffling his hair fondly.

"I should hate to see Sarah disappointed and have you unable to visit," Jareth replied, by way of assurance.

"Will you still come home sometimes?" Toby enquired, suddenly looking slightly worried that he might be about to lose his sister to another man.

"I'll try, Tobes. I promise," she tried to reassure him, realising for the first time just how busy her life was likely to become once she was officially crowned as Jareth's queen. She looked up at the fae king beside her as she considered her choice for a moment.

"We shall do our best to make time to visit," Jareth nodded and gently stroked a stray bit of her hair back off of her face. She smiled gratefully and leaned into him slightly.

The clock on top of the mantlepiece chimed midnight and Robert glanced across at it before finishing his drink in a swift gulp.

"I think it is time that we all retired to our beds," he suggested, setting his glass down. "This has been a lot to take in. We can discuss things further in the morning."

Sarah nodded.

"Okay, Daddy."

The group said their goodnights and retired to their respective bedrooms, Sarah and Jareth bringing up the rear. Once alone with Jareth in her bedroom, with the door closed to the rest of the house, Sarah began the task of letting her hair down. She pulled out the pins that held her curls in place and allowed her hair to fall down around her shoulders, feeling relief as the strain of having it held up dissipated. As she reached around to her back and the fastenings of her dress, she felt Jareth's lean fingers as they began to assist her. She smiled as his nimble fingers made quick work of the fastenings, and she couldn't help thinking to herself that there was something so much more enjoyable about having him help her to undress by hand than by magic. Leaning down, his lips found the delicate hollow of her neck, bringing her back from her musing, and he began to pepper her skin with featherlight kisses. Unconsciously, she raised a hand up and slid her fingers into the soft wisps of his wild blond hair, gently encouraging him to continue.

"That's it," she whispered softly, her body moving closer to his. "We told them. The truth is out there."

"That it is," he agreed, nuzzling her neck gently.

Sarah smiled to herself and turned around to face her handsome fiancé, allowing her other hand to rake up through his hair and join its partner, her lips quickly meeting his in a tender kiss. Jareth's response was equally tender and loving as he held her close to him, his arms winding themselves around her slender form.

"I love you," she whispered softly as their lips parted and she rested her forehead against his, her eyes still closed.

"And I you," he whispered in response.

"Now we can finally start the next chapter of our lives and look forward to our happily ever after."

"And make both our dreams a reality."


End file.
